More money was borrowed under BJP rule, claims Siddaramaiah

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said that in four years of its rule, the previous BJP government borrowed ₹5,30,000 crore while the Congress government has taken ₹2,56,000 crore in the last three years.

The Chief Minister, who reached Davangere on Wednesday to canvass for the Congress candidate in the byelection for Davangere South Assembly Constituency, told presspersons that when Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power, there was a loan of ₹53.11 lakh crore on the country and now, it has increased to ₹218 lakh crore which clearly shows that the BJP has raised more loans at both the State and Central level.

On the demand by BJP State president B.Y. Vijayendra for White Paper on the State’s financial position, he said that an elaborate discussion was already held on the issue during the Budget Session and the State government has given a detailed reply.

“While the GDP of the country is 7.15, Karnataka’s GDP is 8.1. The State Budget outlay has increased by 9.4% this year and the State Budget is better than the Central Budget. While Maharashtra tops the country in GST collection, Karnataka is in the second position. Even in attracting investments, Karnataka is in number one position. Despite all these, BJP leaders are making political statement,” he said.

On Congress being criticised for soaring prices by the BJP in its manifesto, the Chief Minister said that before Mr. Narendra Modi came to power, domestic LPG cyclinders were made available to households at ₹414. However, the price has now reached close to ₹1,000. Fuel prices have been increased by the Union government. Moreover, compared to other States, the prices are comparatively less in Karnataka, he said.

“The State’s fiscal health is strong and it is moving ahead in the path of progress. Under the five guarantee schemes, so far, ₹1.35 lakh crore have been credited to the bank accounts of women. In Davangere South constituency, ₹535 crore has been credited to beneficiaries of Gruhalaxmi scheme. When such large amount is being given to the people directly, saying the Exchequer is empty is ridiculous,” he said.

Pointing out the falling rupee against the American dollar, he claimed that the development indicates the collapsing economic situation of the country under Mr. Modi.

Mr. Siddaramaiah said that when in power in the State, the BJP did not contribute towards the development of Davangere and Bagalkot, while the Congress is committed to ensuring development and will release more grants in the coming days.

“Amid the misinformation campaign by the BJP, the Congress has triumphed in the previous bypolls. The Congress even won in the constituency where a former Chief Minister’s son contested,” he said and added that now too, the people will support the Congress.

To a query, he said that Housing Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan will be participating in the election campaign.