Mysuru
On Monday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah accused Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of lying about budget allocations to Karnataka. Siddaramaiah claimed that Sitharaman, who had previously visited Karnataka, had misled the public and was continuing to do so.
On Sunday, Finance Minister Sitharaman rejected accusations from the Congress government regarding inadequate allocations in the Union Budget 2024-25. During a press conference at the BJP headquarters, she presented data to counter the claims, asserting that Karnataka received its due share of funds. She also highlighted that Karnataka was experiencing higher inflation than the national average and that poor law and order were driving companies away from the state.
Siddaramaiah, addressing the media in Mysuru, refuted Sitharaman’s statements. He argued that Karnataka faced unfair treatment from the 15th Finance Commission and questioned Sitharaman’s claims about the state’s allocation. He pointed out that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into India had dropped by 31 percent, attributing this decline to the policies and programs overseen by Sitharaman as Finance Minister.
Regarding Karnataka’s contributions to central schemes, Siddaramaiah mentioned that the state ranks second in tax payments. He also questioned whether the Rs 5,300 crore grant announced for the Upper Bhadra project in the 2023-24 Union budget had been disbursed, suggesting that it had not been released as promised.
