Hubballi, Dec 20 – Former Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said there is no feeling of a new government as no development has taken place in the state even six months after the Congress assumed power.
“There is no feeling that a new government has come to power in the state. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah must review the six months of governance. Even after six months of the government being in power, there has been no development. The officials are indulging in escapism by only telling lies,” he told reporters here.
Bommai also targeted the Congress government by citing the Mid-Term Fiscal Plan (MTFP) that was tabled in the assembly in February, which stated that the capital expenditure has dropped to the lowest in the last five years.
“Capex should be increasing every year. Capex reflects the health of the state’s economy. Capex pertains to asset creation,” he said.
Bommai said he does not have any objections if the government provides even more guarantees, but that much revenues should also be mopped up so that the development works are not affected.
The government did not give any assurances about the development of Uttara Karnataka, he alleged.
Bommai said a budget of Rs 5,000 crore should be released for the third phase of the Upper Krishna project, but the government did not do it.
There is no instance of the completion of any irrigation plan and the Malaprabha scheme has been ongoing for 40 years, he said.
In response to the allegation that there has been no grant from the Centre to the state, the former CM said that it is just a political statement.
“The union government has given grants to the state as needed. We will provide evidence of how much grant has come from the centre. The centre’s rules have now changed. Money goes directly to the districts.
“If the government sends money, it is going directly to the respective plans of the districts. The state government does not talk about it,” he said.
Bommai said the government has completely failed in implementing guarantee schemes. Only 35 percent of the Gruha Lakshmi Yojana has reached actual beneficiaries.
“They just talk about technicalities. Even in providing solutions for the drought, they accuse farmers if they don’t submit proof which is the responsibility of the agriculture department,” he said.
