Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has called upon the people of the State to defeat of BJP-JD(S) combine in the coming Lok Sabha elections to protest against the alleged injustice to Karnataka over the issue of sharing of taxes by the Centre.
Addressing a public meeting after inaugurating and laying the foundation stone for a slew of development projects worth more ₹470 crore in Malavalli taluk, Mr. Siddaramaiah said Karnataka was receiving only ₹13 out of every ₹100 tax collected from the people of the State. “The Centre is keeping ₹87 out of the ₹100. We asked them to give us atleast ₹50 out of it and keep ₹50”, he said.
During the year 2023-24, a total of ₹4.30 lakh crore tax will be recovered from Karnataka, which is the second highest tax paying State in the country. “But, in return, we get only ₹50,257 crore,” he said while asking why Karnataka should keep quiet over the alleged injustice.
When a protest was held in the national capital against the alleged injustice to Kannadigas over the sharing of taxes by the Centre, the BJP leaders said they felt humiliated by the demonstration. “Aren’t they betraying the Kannadigas?”, he asked.
He said the BJP at the Centre lies over the sharing of taxes and party leaders in Karnataka repeat the same lies. Now, the JD(S) leaders have also joined them, he said before reiterating the need to demand Karnataka’s rightful share in the taxes collected from the State.
If a “lesson is to be taught” to the BJP-JD(S) combine for the “betrayal” of Kannadigas, the people of the State should support the Congress and defeat the BJP-JD(S) combine in the coming Lok Sabha elections, he said.
GUARANTEES:
Gurantees
Mr. Siddaramaiah also pointed out that his government had fulfilled the promise to implement the five guarantee programmes within eight months of coming to power in the State.
Asking the people if they will forget the favour extended to them by the Congress government, the Chief Minister said a total of 155 crore women had travelled free in KSRTC buses so far at the rate of 60 lakh per day since the Shakti was implemented in the State.
Similarly, he said the Anna Bhagya to provide free 10 kg of rice to the people of the State was implemented even though the Centre refused to provide Karnataka the rice required for the programme.
While 1.63 families were receiving upto 200 units per month of free power every month under Gruha Jyothi, 1.17 crore women were receiving ₹2,000 every month under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme. Recently, the Yuva Nidhi scheme to provide monthly financial assistance of ₹3,000 to unemployed graduates and ₹1,500 to unemployed diploma holders had also been launched, he said.
He recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reported statement in Rajasthan that the guarantee schemes cannot be implemented and that the State would become a pauper if it did so. “In eight months all the five guarantee programmes have been implemented,” he said.
Later, the BJP leaders began spreading lies that the guarantee schemes will be scrapped after Lok Sabha elections, he said before asking them to refer to the recently presented State Budget in which he had set aside ₹52,000 crore for the guarantee schemes.
Minister for Agriculture Cheluvarayaswamy, who is also in charge of Mandya district, Minister for Public Works Satish Jharkiholi, MLA representing Malavalli P.M. Narendraswamy and a host of legislators and other leaders were also present on the occasion.
