Siddaramaiah launches ‘sixth guarantee’, questions silence of ex-CMs over ‘injustice’ to Karnataka

The mega convention at Haveri on Saturday to launch “Bhoo Guarantee”, that coincided with the Congress government completing 1,000 days in office, also became a platform for raising the issue of “injustice” meted out to Karnataka by the Centre.

Addressing a gathering of beneficiaries who were issued title deeds of properties, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah questioned the silence of the former Chief Ministers, who are now MPs, on the issue of “injustice”.

“Former Chief Ministers and incumbent MPs Basavaraj Bommai and Jagadish Shettar and Union Minister Pralhad Joshi are not opening their mouths to speak on the injustice to Karnataka,” he said.

“We have created a record by distributing title deeds to a total of 2.2 lakh beneficiary families, even as we have become number one in GDP. These have been achieved despite the injustice by the Centre in terms of release of funds,” he said.

Describing the title deed distribution as the “sixth guarantee”, he said that if what was due for the State was given by the Centre, the government would be able to initiate more development works.

Mr. Siddaramaiah claimed that in the last two years and nine months, the State government had fulfilled 243 assurances. “But the BJP which did not fulfil its assurances when in power, is now spreading canards about the exchequer being empty. So far we have directly credited ₹1,18,000 crore to bank accounts of people of the State through various guarantees,” he said.