Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that a fractured verdict will affect development as political stability is a precursor to administrative stability.
Addressing mediapersons in Mysuru on May 6, the Leader of Opposition said that the BJP is facing anti-incumbency across Karnataka, and the Congress would get a clear mandate in the coming Assembly elections on May 10. Whenever there was a fractured mandate — as in 2004 and 2008 elections — it had resulted in the formation of a coalition government, and the State’s development was affected as, in the absence of political stability, the administrative efficiency also took a hit, which people have realised.
He said people were fed up of ‘unbridled corruption of the BJP’. Though the allegations were being made since the last 18 months, no action was initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai sought ‘documentary evidence’ to substantiate the allegations overlooking the letters of distress alleging corruption written by contractors’ association and school managements’ association. Citing the sub-inspectors’ recruitment scam, he said, “All of these were a pointer to how deep corruption was entrenched under the BJP.”
‘’Instead of addressing the problem Mr. Bommai tried to play it down alleging corruption even during my tenure from 2013 to 2018. If so, why was it not raised even once when I was the CM?”
He said the BJP has never won a majority on its own. Instead, it lures elected representatives of other parties, through ‘Operation Kamala’, which is now synonymous with poaching MLAs, to form the government.
He criticised the BJP for engaging in politics of hate and raising issues like hijab and halal, and polarising society for electoral gains. “There is no talk of development by the BJP.”
He reiterated the party’s commitment to implement its guarantee schemes of 200 units of free power, 10 kg of free rice, ₹2,000 for each women household head, unemployment support allowance to youth, and free travel for women in public transport bus, saying these were financially viable provided the government adhered to fiscal discipline.
He accused BJP governments at the Centre and State of being the most profligate. “The Modi government has incurred more debt in the last 9 years than the cumulative debt of all the governments from independence till 2014,” said Mr. Siddaramaiah. Similarly, the BJP government in Karnataka lacked administrative and fiscal prudence, as a result of which the State had become bankrupt, he added.
Out of 165 promises made by Congress in the 2013 election manifesto, the party had implemented 158, besides introducing 20 other welfare projects, like Anna Bhagya, Ksheera Bhagya, Vidyashree, and Shaadi Bhagya. “People are aware that the Congress has fulfilled its promises, and will give the party a thumping majority in the ensuing elections,” he added.
