Will hit the streets of Karnataka if Centre does not address our concerns: DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Congress government's protest in Delhi alleging "injustice" to the State by the Centre in tax devolution and grants-in-aid, was not a show of strength, but the voice of the people of the State, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said on Wednesday.
Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress president, said that his party will fight it out, and will take the issue to the streets of Karnataka, if things continue in the same way, and the central government doesn't address the concerns.
Congress legislators and MPs from Karnataka, including Ministers from Siddaramaiah-led government, on Wednesday staged a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, demanding that the union government set right the losses allegedly incurred by the State to the tune of Rs 1,87,000 crore, during five years under the 15th finance commission.
"It is not a show of strength. You see, the people of Karnataka don't want to show our strength. It is the voice of Karnataka, where injustice has been done. 7 crore people, they are giving tax every day, we are getting only 13 per cent, we want our share," Shivakumar said to a question whether the protest was a show of strength.
Speaking to PTI Videos in the national capital, he said: "not only in GST, in every thing the state's share is not upto the right."
On several projects that were announced nationally including Upper Bhadra allegedly not getting funds from the Centre, Shivakumar said Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who is also a Rajya Sabha from the state, has to answer to this.
"Nothing (is given)...the Finance Commission had said that Rs 6,000 crore has to be given (for the development of water bodies and peripheral ring road in Bengaluru), that also has not been given, what was Nirmala Sitharaman doing?" he asked.
Asked about the Finance Minister's statement in Parliament about Karnataka government spending money on guarantees and are now left with no funds to run the administration, he said, "guarantees and this issue is different, let them (Centre) give our money, we will do whatever we want as per the wishes of the people of Karnataka."
When questioned as to what will be the next course of action if things continue the same way, Shivakumar said, "we will fight it out, we will take it to the streets of Karnataka."
"Let them (BJP) say whatever they want, we want to fight for justice, we want our share, we want people of Karnataka's stomachs to be filled," he said, rejecting BJP's allegations that the protest was a political ploy by Congress, with Parliament elections round the corner.
On whether Karnataka Congress was trying to set a new narrative against the BJP, the DCM said, "it is the fact....we are trying to inform the people, we want to educate the people, and get them justice."
Responding to a question on "separate nation" remarks by his brother and Congress MP from Bangalore Rural D K Suresh, which had led to a "controversy", Shivakumar said, "there is no controversy, it is a fact. He said that people are thinking we are being sidelined, that's all."
Suresh last week claimed that taxes collected from the south were being distributed to north India and that the former were not getting their due share, and that the southern states will be compelled to demand for a separate nation if the injustice' was not rectified.
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Among developing states, TN leads with growth of 11.19 per cent, no thanks to BJP: Udhayanidhi
Thanjavur/Pudukottai (PTI): Tamil Nadu currently stands as the number one state among India’s developing regions, boasting a significant growth rate of 11.19 per cent, despite a stark lack of support from the BJP-led union government, Deputy Chief Minister Udhyanidhi Stalin said on Sunday.
"The central administration has failed to provide requested projects or the funds rightfully due to the state. This neglect reached a peak in the last Union Budget, where the name "Tamil Nadu" was entirely absent, with no new projects allocated to the region," Udhayanidhi told the gathered crowd at Peravurani in Thanjavur.
He also accused the central government of "attempting to undermine" the state's cultural identity by re-imposing a 'Three-Language Policy' and pushing Hindi and Sanskrit into the territory.
"While these threats loom, the opposition leader, Edappadi Palaniswami, remains silent. Instead of questioning these injustices, he has formed an alliance with the BJP, effectively facilitating the entry of these policies into Tamil Nadu," the Deputy Chief Minister added.
According to him, the upcoming assembly election presents a critical opportunity for the people to respond to this continuous neglect.
"It is time for the voters to decide whether to support the Tamil Nadu team or a Delhi team that ignores the state’s developmental needs and linguistic heritage," he added.
Earlier, speaking at Viralimalai in Pudukottai, he argued that this election "is a war between the Delhi Team and the Tamil Nadu Team".
"We are the Tamil Nadu Team...we must send Delhi Team back to where they came from with a decisive win," he said.
He urged the electorate to break the "remote control" Delhi uses to try and control Tamil Nadu.
Udhayanidhi attacked the opposition, specifically targeting incumbent MLA and AIADMK candidate C Vijayabaskar by calling him a "drama company actor", who is part of a "slave group" being threatened by the CBI and ED.
The deputy CM listed the infrastructure and welfare achievements of the "Dravidian Model" government, specifically mentioning quality road works worth Rs 25 crore for 30 km and drinking water connections worth Rs 17 crore in the region.
He also claimed that the DMK revived the laptop scheme for college students after the AIADMK abandoned it in 2019.
Looking toward a second term, he promised that the government would increase the women's entitlement amount to Rs 2,000 and build Rs 10 lakh houses under the 'Kalaignar Kanavu Illam' initiative for those without homes.
Invoking his political lineage, he told the local cadre to set a high target, noting that while the party lost the seat by a narrow margin previously, this time DMK must win by a margin of "50,000 votes to drive away the slave group".
