BJP MLAs hold protest at Vidhan Sabha over Karnataka budget for 2024

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], February 16 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs held a protest at Vidhan Sabha over the Karnataka budget 2024. BJP MLAs had earlier walked out of the state Assembly during the budget presentation.

The Karnataka Leader of the opposition and BJP leader R Ashok said, ” It is a bogus budget, government is in a poor stage. This is an election budget”

Former CM HD Kumaraswamy said that CM Siddaramaiah had no confidence when he started his speech about the budget.

“CM Siddaramaiah presented the 15th budget. Our Siddaramaiah is such an economic minister. CM Siddaramaiah had no confidence when he started his speech about the budget. The people of the state have filled the treasury of the government. The people of the state are disappointed after seeing CM Siddaramaiah’s budget. This budget of CM Siddaramaiah has laid the foundation for the era of destruction” former CM HD Kumaraswamy said.

BJP MLA C.N. Ashwath Narayan accused the Siddaramiah government of indulging in appeasement politics.

“The Congress government in the state of Karnataka is very discriminative. It only plays with the vote bank politics. And it is hurting the sentiments of Hindus somehow they are always into division politics and appeasement politics. We condemn this budget as being so discriminative. There’s no inclusion in the entire budget” he said.

“Whatever has been given by the Congress government in the state of Karnataka has not been done with the right spirit. They are just playing the political drama. Just misusing the taxpayer’s money. Not by delivering the right way. The benefits have not been passed on to the people of Karnataka. We demand them to provide all five guarantees without even looking back. Whatever has been promised by the Congress party in their manifesto, let it be implemented. We completely fully support the guarantee. But in front of Modi’s guarantee, these Congress guarantees are nothing.” BJP MLA C.N. Ashwath Narayan added.

On the other hand, Congress leader RV Deshpande said, ” …The guarantees we have promised, we are committed to that…”

Earlier, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah presented his 15th consecutive budget on the state’s financial roadmap for the upcoming fiscal year.

Holding both the position of Chief Minister and the finance portfolio, Siddaramaiah’s 15th budget marks a record milestone in his political career.

“Through the 5 Guarantee schemes of Shakti, Gruhajyoti, Gruha Lakshmi, Yuvanidhi and Annabhagya, we are putting Rs. 52,000 crore in the hands of crore of people during 2024-25. An average of Rs. 50,000 to Rs.55,000 is transferred to each family every year through Guarantee schemes,” said CM Siddaramaiah.

“The implementation of Guarantee schemes has brought us admiration from the entire world. The positive economic and social impact of the Guarantee schemes will become more clear with time. Many countries and international agencies are studying and appreciating our work. However, these studies are not the only reason to validate my belief in the Guarantee schemes. The happiness on the face of the woman who bows her head before entering the bus; the prayers of millions of women who are visiting temples; the tears of joy in the face of the unemployed youth who got some relief due to Yuva Nidhi – these gestures have strengthened my faith in Guarantee Schemes. It is a matter of immense satisfaction to place the fruits of prosperity into the hands of its rightful owners, the people of the State.” the Karnataka CM added.

Speaking on guarantees of Congress government in the state, CM Siddaramaiah said, “Our vision for the future is not limited to the Guarantee scheme. Amidst the successful implementation of Guarantee schemes of such a huge scale, during the last 9 months, our Government has given Cabinet approval to works worth Rs.21,168 crore and revised estimates of Rs. 2230 crore have been approved. Further, the Action Plan for Rs.2188 crore has also been approved. We have given impetus to creating an ecosystem that promotes inclusive development and accelerated economic development in the coming future. We will mobilise adequate resources for economic infrastructure such as expressways, excellent rural roads, world-class airports and Urban Public Transport facilities. We will make even greater investment in the energy sector to take Karnataka number one in the country once again in energy production”

The State economy is estimated to grow at 6.6% (constant prices) in 2023-24. The sectoral growth reveals that services and industrial sectors are the major contributors to the State economy.

The services sector has registered a growth of 8.7% and Industrial sector has shown a growth of 7.5% in 2023-24 over the previous year. The agriculture sector has shown a negative growth of 1.8 % due to severe drought in the current year.

The 2023-24 Karnataka Budget witnessed substantial growth, with the budget size increasing from Rs 265,720 crore to Rs 327,747 crore, demonstrating a significant 23 per cent surge.

This expansion encompassed both revenue and capital expenditures, reflecting the government’s commitment to holistic development across various sectors.