Bengaluru, Sep 6 (IANS) The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka on Saturday launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, demanding his resignation over the alleged non-allocation of development funds, even to the MLAs from his own party.
Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, R Ashoka, stated that the Congress government in the state has become “bankrupt,” citing a request from a senior cabinet minister for a paltry amount of Rs 2 crore.
“The state Agriculture Minister, N. Cheluvarayaswamy, who has been elected as an MLA for the fourth time, has to plead before the Chief Minister just to get an allocation of Rs 2 crore for the development of Scheduled Caste colonies in his constituency,” Ashoka claimed.
“You can imagine how bankrupt the Congress government in Karnataka is,” he said.
Ashoka highlighted statements from other Congress MLAs, including Kothur Manjunath, who said one “has to fall at the feet of the Chief Minister to get funds.”
Ashoka further said, ‘Kolar Congress MLA Kothur Manjunath has to fall at the feet of the Chief Minister just to get funds. The Chief Minister’s Economic Advisor, Basavaraj Rayareddy, reportedly said, ‘If you want roads, we will have to stop the guarantee schemes’.”
Ashoka said that another MLA, Gaviyappanavar, has said that the legislators may be forced to commit suicide in front of Vidhana Soudha if the situation persists.
“MLA Gaviyappanavar went a step further and expressed his helplessness by saying that if things continue like this, we will be forced to die by suicide in front of Vidhana Soudha,” said the Karnataka Opposition Leader.
Meanwhile, several MLAs, including BR Patil and Raju Kage, have complained to Congress general secretary and the party’s Karnataka in-charge, Randeep Singh Surjewala, that without funds, they are unable to move around their constituencies with dignity, Ashoka pointed out, quoting media reports.
“Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, how long will you persist with this sham rule? Step down and save the state,” the Opposition Leader said, targeting the CM directly.
The state Agriculture Minister’s request, made through an official letter seeking a grant of Rs 2 crore and stating that it has become difficult to initiate any development activities for the welfare of the Scheduled Caste community under the ‘Pragati Colony Scheme’ in his constituency, has gone viral on social media.
The Opposition has ridiculed Minister Cheluvarayaswamy, pointing out that despite being a cabinet minister with direct access to Siddaramaiah, he was compelled to submit a letter formally requesting funds due to the shortage of resources.
Following the GST reforms, state Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy has raised concerns over a shortfall of Rs 15,000 crore in funds from the Centre.
The Karnataka government is running a free travel scheme for women on RTC buses across the state under the Shakti Scheme, and his department is facing a severe shortage of resources.
–IANS
mka/snj/skp