Former Chief Minister and JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy criticised Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah’s claims on the performance of the Congress Government during its regime (2013-18) and his remarks against fiscal management of the State Government.
Mr. Kumaraswamy also questioned the credibility of the padayatra spearheaded by KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar seeking implementation of the Mekedatu project, and asked where was the Congress when farmers launched a protest seeking implementation of the Mahadayi project in north Karnataka.
Speaking on the State Budget in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, Mr Kumaraswamy said the Siddaramaiah Government had borrowed at least ₹3,000-₹4,000 crore every year during its tenure. The Congress Government’s borrowings increased from ₹25,000 crore in 2014 to ₹40,000 crore in 2018, he said.
In defence of the BJP Government’s borrowings, he said, unlike the Siddaramaiah-led Government, the incumbent Government had faced challenges after it came to power. First, it faced floods in 2019 and then the COVID-19 pandemic in subsequent years.
When Mr. Kumaraswamy continued to question Mr. Siddaramaiah’s remarks on the State Budget, Deputy Leader of the Congress U.T. Khader wondered whether the JD(S) leader was speaking on the Budget presented by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai or Mr. Siddaramaiah’s speech. This caused an uproar in the House.
Meanwhile, Mr. Bommai defended Mr. Kumaraswamy and Mr. Khader stood up and said the JD(S) was the ‘B’ team of the BJP and this further escalated the heat in the House, as members of the two Opposition parties indulged in trading charges against each other.
On Mekedatu
On the Mekedatu project, Mr. Kumaraswamy said the State Government should not bother about the padayatra launched by the Congress. Instead it should put pressure on the Central Government to get forest and environment clearance for implementing the project.
Again targeting the Congress, he asked where the Congress leaders were when police lathicharged farmers who staged a protest seeking implementation of the Mahadayi drinking water project.
Mr. Kumaraswamy questioned the Congress performance in safeguarding the State’s water rights and said it was during his tenure that the DPR on Mekedatu was prepared. Then Jal Shakti Minister Nitin Gadkari showed positive response towards the project, he said.
On Krishna
During a discussion on the Budget, Water Resources Minister Govind M. Karjol said the Congress, which had launched march towards the Krishna in 2013 during the BJP Government, had spent a meagre sum of ₹7,728 crore on irrigation projects, of which it spent more than ₹5,000 crore on maintenance and repair works of dams and canals between 2013-18.
Mr. Karjol, who was in the Janata Parivar before joining the BJP, said the Narayanapur reservoir in Kalaburagi has been completed owing to former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda’s efforts.
