Union Budget will help farmers, women, youths and middle class

Mysuru: Lambasting the State Government for hiking liquor prices, milk prices, power tariff, bus fares, metro fares etc., Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries H.D. Kumaraswamy (HDK) said that the Congress Government in Karnataka was only indulged in gimmickry by blaming the Centre for shortage of funds.

Asserting that the Union Budget is all inclusive and comes as a booster for farmers, women, youths, the middle-class etc., HDK lashed out at the State Government for rising prices.

Sharing the details of Union Budget at a press meet at the Government Guest House in Nazarbad here this morning, Kumaraswamy said that he would take part in the video-conference where Prime Minister Modi is set to transfer funds under PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme, directly into the farmers’ accounts with a single click later today at Bhagalpur in Bihar.

The PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme provides Rs. 6,000 annually to landholding farmer families distributed in 3 equal instalments of Rs. 2,000 every four months.

Pointing out that this year’s Union Budget has a plan outlay of Rs. 50,000 lakh crore, HDK  said he had been out of public contact for the past several days due to his ill health and today’s was the first programme that he was attending after recovering.

“The Union Government has allocated Rs. 11.20 lakh crore for capital expenditure, Rs.1.72 lakh crore for the farm sector and has selected 100 backward districts across the country for fast tracking development by setting up Start-ups. This apart, it has made appropriate allocations to all other sectors and there are plans for employment generation in the leather industry,” he noted.

Coming back to the State, Kumaraswamy hit out at the Congress Government for unfairly and unnecessarily accusing the Centre of discriminating Karnataka in budgetary allocation.

Only God can save the Lokayukta

Commenting on the Lokayukta Police giving a clean chit to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathi and brother-in-law Mallikarjunaswamy in the MUDA alternative sites allotment case, Kumaraswamy said that the Lokayukta report was doctored by the CM.

“The MUDA scam cannot be taken to its logical end as the Government has intervened in the case. The Siddaramaiah Government, out of vengeance, has ordered a survey of my farm land at Ketaganahalli near Bidadi and has also formed a SIT, which includes 5 IAS Officers, to probe the case. Let the Siddaramaiah Government order an international survey of my land. The CM is not a ‘Satya Harishchandra’  and the Congress Government is acting against him (HDK) only out of vengeance,” he said , wondering what all happened to Hinkal Sakamma land dispute case, in which the CM’s followers are said to be involved.

Commenting on District Minister Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa’s statement that CM Siddaramaiah should set a record for the longest duration of a CM, Kumaraswamy said it is not the duration that matters, but it is the sort of administration that a CM would give that matters the most for the general public.

“The State’s exchequer has gone bankrupt so much so that it does not have the money to fund its own guarantee schemes. The Government has been rising fares of essential services and prices of commodities at will  to fill up its coffers, much to the burden of the common man,” he said adding that the Siddaramaiah Government has failed on all fronts and there is nothing much that can be expected from this Government.

Police Station attackers must be punished

Referring to the Udayagiri Police Station attack incident, Kumaraswamy said it is the duty of the State Government to take action against anyone who is violating the law.

“The Police must act and punish all those involved in the stone- pelting incident. Police force must crush anti-social elements,” he said wondering how the stone pelters could collect stones in bags in a matter of just a few minutes and attack the Police Station. The case is a very serious one and the State Government should bring the culprits to book, he added.

Mysuru-Kodagu MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, former Minister S.R. Mahesh, former MLA M. Ashvin Kumar and other JD(S) leaders were present at the press meet.