PM has no right to take credit for Chandrayaan-3; govt has cut budget allocation for science: Cong
Bengaluru: The Karnataka Congress has censured Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking credit for the success of Chandrayaan-3, stating that the PM has supported neither scientists nor research but has reduced the government support for space science in the budget this year.
Posting its message on its X account, formerly known as Twitter, the Karnataka Congress on Friday, "The Central government, which is claiming credit for the success of the efforts of the scientists, has imposed a cut of 8 per cent in the expenditure for space science in its budget. It had also cut 38 per cent in the funds for the Chandrayaan-3," adding that the PM, therefore, had no moral right to lay claim to the credit for the success of the lunar project.
The Congress also mocked the government, saying, "This is an excellent example for the lack of faith of the BJP in scientific temper and its negligence towards science and research."
ವಿಜ್ಞಾನಿಗಳ ಪರಿಶ್ರಮದ ಫಲವಾಗಿರುವ ಚಂದ್ರಯಾನದ ಯಶಸ್ಸಿನ ಕ್ರೆಡಿಟ್ ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ಮುಂದಾಗುವ ಕೇಂದ್ರ ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಬಾಹ್ಯಾಕಾಶ ಸಂಶೋಧನೆಗೆ ಬಜೆಟ್ ನಲ್ಲಿ 8% ರಷ್ಟು ಅನುದಾನವನ್ನು ಕಡಿತಗೋಳಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ.
— Karnataka Congress (@INCKarnataka) August 24, 2023
ಅಲ್ಲದೆ ಚಂದ್ರಯಾನ 3 ಯೋಜನೆಯ ಅನುದಾನದಲ್ಲಿ 38% ನಷ್ಟು ಕಡಿತಗೊಳಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ.
ವೈಜ್ಞಾನಿಕ ಮನೋಭಾವದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ನಂಬಿಕೆ ಇಲ್ಲದ ಬಿಜೆಪಿಗೆ… pic.twitter.com/Uiy7QQXs2N
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses EC of ‘bias’, defends state guarantee schemes ahead of bypolls
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused the EC of "double standards" and "bias" after it sought details on the state’s guarantee schemes in Davanagere and Bagalkot districts, where bypolls are scheduled for Thursday.
In a post on 'X' on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah said the Election Commission of India had asked the Karnataka government for information on fund releases under five ongoing guarantee schemes in the constituencies going to polls.
The polls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, respectively.
The schemes are Gruha Jyothi, which provides 200 units of free electricity to every household; Gruha Lakshmi, offering Rs 2,000 to women heading families; and Anna Bhagya, supplying 10 kg of rice per month to each member of BPL families.
In addition, Yuva Nidhi grants Rs 3,000 to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders aged 18–25 for two years, while Shakti enables women to travel free of charge within Karnataka on government non-luxury buses.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the ECI had remained silent when similar cash transfer schemes were announced in Maharashtra and Bihar ahead of elections, calling the scrutiny of Karnataka’s schemes a "clear case of bias".
"In states like Maharashtra and Bihar, cash transfer schemes were announced or fast-tracked just before elections, directly benefiting voters. Yet the ECI remained silent. This is not neutrality—it is complicity," he said.
The CM accused the BJP and NDA governments of "a double standard", noting that when they act, the ECI "looks the other way", but when Karnataka fulfils its promises, it faces "intense scrutiny".
He added that targeting the state’s guarantee schemes is "not just political but anti-poor, anti-women, and anti-Karnataka."
Siddaramaiah clarified that these schemes were not launched in connection with the bypolls but are ongoing programmes implemented as part of the Congress government’s commitments from the 2023 Assembly elections.
Funds are transferred regularly to beneficiaries in a transparent and structured manner, he added.
"The guarantees are part of governance—a direct investment in human dignity, household stability, and economic participation, not inducement," he said.
He also accused the BJP of "hypocrisy", saying that while it criticises Karnataka’s schemes as "freebies", it rolls out similar programmes in states it governs.
"The Karnataka model has set a benchmark for the country. What is deeply concerning, however, is the ECI’s selective approach," Siddaramaiah added.
