From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Feb 20: Opposition Congress leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah attacked the ruling BJP in the State and Centre of perpetrating injustice to Karnataka and also accused Chief BS Yediyurappa of indulging in vendetta politics against the ruling party’s political opponents.

Participating in the debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor’s address to the joint session of the State Legislature, he said the NarendraModi government had caused great “injustice to Karnataka” by not releasing funds to the State and the Yediyurappa regime has completely failed in demanding that the Centre allocate more funds to the State for the 2020-21 fiscal.

In 2019-20, Karnataka had expected to receive Rs 17,249 crore as GST (Goods and Services Tax) compensation, but the state has received only Rs 8,815 crore, said the Congress leader.

“We have not received GST compensation, we have not received money for rehabilitation of victims of floods, and we have not received any grants from the Centre. We stand third in the country in paying the maximum amount of taxes to the Centre. How will you carry out developmental works?’’ Siddaramaiah asked.

He said, “This year everything will be stopped. The 15th Finance Commission has said that Karnataka’s allocation of funds from the Centre will reduce by over Rs 11,000 crore.’’

The former Chief Minister accused the Yediyurappa government of lack of political will to oppose the Centre’s decisions.

He said states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Gujarat will be receiving more funds compared to their contribution to the Centre’s pool.

“We are not getting back what we are giving. Where are we? Where do we stand? All ministers in the government must read about this. Is this not injustice for our state? We have not fought for our rights politically and the lack of political will had brought us here,” he said.

“Many Finance Commissions have said that owing to the population is more in those states, they will get more allocation. No one has opposed this view so far and we must. But Gujarat is a fairly developed state, why should they get more money now? Why Yediyurappa not get the compensation back? Why did the Centre bring in GST in such a hurried manner? Why it undertake demonetisation? This is the fallout of all these bad policies,” he said.

He said the State had not received GST compensation and money for rehabilitation of victims of floods.

Though BJP has 25 MPs in the State, they have not met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought higher compensation to the flood affected areas, Siddaramaiah said.

Karjol blames HDK’s Cong-JD(S) rule

However, the Yediyurappa government claimed that the previous coalition government headed by former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy discriminated in releasing funds to legislators and randomly sanctioned projects without the approval of the Finance Department.

The sanctioned costs of projects in the Public Works Department (PWD) were six times higher than the available funds in the state budgets during the previous Congress-JD(S) coalition government, it said.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said 105 members of the BJP had received Rs 2985 crore during 2018-20 against Rs2974 crore by 34 members of the JD(S). The Congress party’s 79 members received Rs 3,834 crore.

Rebutting charges made by Opposition Congress and JD(S) members during the motion on thanks to the Governor’s address, Deputy Chief Minister Govind M Karjol, who also holds the PWD portfolio, said Rs59,112 crore works under the PWD had been sanctioned during 2018-20 though the available funds in the State budgets were Rs9,450 crore.

In fact, works amounting Rs36,000 crore had been taken up though the Finance Department has not approved them, he said.

Under the Central Road Fund (amount collected by levying cess on petrol and diesel), the Kumaraswamy government sanctioned works estimated at Rs5,700 crore though the amount available was only Rs500 crore.

Karjol said many works which have been taken up without the Finance Department’s approval had been been stopped due to non-availability of funds.

“Do you call this financial discipline?’’ Karjol asked Siddaramaiah, who has presented 14 state budgets.