Nirmala Sitharaman has done injustice to Karnataka, says CM Siddaramaiah on budget
Bengaluru, Jul 23: Terming the Union Budget 2024-25 presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as "disappointing", Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the State has been totally neglected.
"As Nirmala Sitharaman is the Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, we had expected her to do justice for the state and hoped that she would protect the interest of the state, but she has disappointed and done injustice to the people of Karnataka," he said.
"In this budget Nirmala Sitharaman has given Karnataka 'Chombu' (a small, round water container). Karnataka has got nothing. Andhra Pradesh and Bihar got special grants, no other states have got grants. Because for Nandra Modi Modi to continue as Prime Minister Andhra Pradesh and Bihar's support is required," Siddaramaiah said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said no impetus has been given to Karnataka in this budget including in sectors like industries and railways, despite five central ministers being from the state.
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"The budget is totally disappointing and anti-people. Injustice has been done specially to SC/STs, farmers. In order to keep Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar (happy) special grants have been given to Andhra Pradesh and Bihar....There are 28 states and eight union territories, ours is a federal state, but Karnataka has totally been neglected," he said, adding that except Andhra Pradesh no state from South India has got anything.
Noting that in the pre-budget discussion that was attended by Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda on his behalf, the state had made certain requests and none of them have been met, the Chief Minister said a Rs 5,495 crore special grant was recommended to the state by the 15th Finance Commission.
It was promised that Rs 6,000 crore will be given for peripheral ring road and development of water bodies, but it has not been given, he further said. "We had also sought for an increase in disaster relief and that too has not been given. For the Upper Bhadra project the FM had herself in the last budget had said Rs 5,300 crore will be given, it has not been given, we will ask for it."
The state's demands on urban and rural housing schemes, and matching grants for backward areas development have not been met, and so does the demand for establishing an All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Raichur, which is a backward area, he added.
There is nothing useful for the middle class in the budget, in terms of Income Tax, he said. The state's fight "our tax, our right" will continue. "The 16th Finance Commission is coming to Karnataka on August 28, we will represent our case vehemently before the commission."
Dubbing it as a "save-the-government" budget, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said Nirmala Sitharaman has disappointed the people of Karnataka.
"This budget by Nirmala Sitharaman is an attempt to save the NDA government at the Centre. It focuses solely on appeasing its crucial alliance partners from Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. The budget has ignored states ruled by the INDI Alliance. It is a budget for the NDA alliance and it is condemnable," he said.
"The world is looking at India through Bengaluru. Karnataka and Bengaluru have created a name for themselves at the global stage. I was hopeful that Nirmala Sitharaman, who represents Karnataka, would protect the interests of the state by allocating funds for infrastructure development and for pending projects, but nothing has been done," Shivakumar added.
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Mamata visits Bhabanipur EVM strong room, warns against counting irregularities
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee early Friday warned against any attempt to tamper with the counting process, hours after she visited an EVM strong room in Bhabanipur, alleging possible malpractice.
Banerjee, who emerged around 12:07 am after spending nearly four hours at the counting centre for her Bhabanipur constituency housed in Sakhawat Memorial School in south Kolkata, said only one person would be allowed inside the designated counting area.
"Either the candidate or one agent can stay upstairs. I have also suggested installation of a CCTV camera for the media," she told reporters.
Stressing the need for transparency, she said, "It is essential to maintain transparency. People’s votes must be protected. I rushed here after receiving complaints. The central forces initially did not allow me to enter."
Sounding a stern note ahead of the May 4 counting, she added, "If there is any plan to tamper with the counting process, it will not be tolerated."
On Thursday evening, Banerjee had reached the Bhabanipur Assembly segment counting centre, which houses the strong room for EVMs used in the April 29 polling, citing suspicion of tampering with the machines.
She entered the premises along with her election agent and remained inside for hours, even as Kolkata Mayor and TMC candidate from the Kolkata Port segment Firhad Hakim reached the spot but could not meet her.
"I reached here upon learning that the chief minister has arrived. But I couldn’t meet her since she was already inside the premises, exercising her right as a candidate to visit strong rooms. I wasn’t allowed there. I will not be able to confirm what exactly is transpiring inside," Hakim said.
The development coincided with protests by TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra in north Kolkata, where they staged a sit-in alleging irregularities and possible tampering of EVMs stored in strong rooms, leading to face-offs between TMC and BJP supporters.
Earlier in a video message, Banerjee had urged party leaders, workers and polling agents to maintain a 24-hour vigil on EVM strong rooms, alleging that the BJP could attempt to tamper with the machines before counting begins.
Her remarks come amid heightened political tension in the state following a fiercely contested Assembly election, with parties closely monitoring arrangements and raising concerns over transparency.
