Responding to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader B.S. Yeddyurappa who had alleged that financial condition of the State had worsened during Congress rule, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah hit back by stating that the former Chief Minister had little knowledge of the State’s actual fiscal stability. He was speaking to mediapersons at a helipad here on Saturday. The Chief Minister was here to inaugurate several developmental projects and lay foundation stones to new ones.
“Fiscal Responsibility Act passed in 2002 is in force. It has laid down three directions for fiscal management - the fiscal deficit should not be more than 3% of GDP [Gross Domestic Prduct], there should be revenue surplus and liabilities should not be more than 25% of the GDP. My government has maintained fiscal discipline by adhering to these principles and, as result, achieved greater fiscal stability. Mr. Yeddyurappa is making hue and cry that I have emptied the State’s treasury and borrowed loans at will. The fact is that our loans are just 19.42% of GDP, well within the 25% cap set by the Act. Mr. Yeddyurappa has neither read the Fiscal Responsibility Act nor does he know anything about the State’s actual financial condition,” he said.
He added that the State’s budget size had impressively grown from Rs. 98,000 crore in 2013 when he assumed power as Chief Minister to Rs. 1,86,000 crore in 2017-18. “The size of the next budget that I am going to present in February 2018 will be Rs. 2,10,000 crore. Such a tremendous growth wouldn’t have been possible without maintaining fiscal discipline.”
‘Great liars’
Terming BJP leaders as “great liars,” Mr. Siddaramaiah said that Mr.Yeddyurappa has been saying that he had abundant documents that prove several scams of the Siddaramaiah government and would release them one after another. But, he never took out a single document from his pocket as he doesn’t have any. I never said lies. You can cross-verify the facts that I speak.”
Referring to Union Minister Anant Kumar Hegde's ‘offensive’ language against Congress leaders, the Chief Minister said that the former had “no sense and culture.” “By publicly asking me whether what was recently done in Uttara Kannada was enough or I need more, he indirectly accepted the fact that he had triggered recent communal violence in the coastal district,” he alleged.
Suspicion over EVM
Expressing distrust over Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), Mr. Siddaramaiah demanded that the Election Commission use traditional ballot papers in the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections.
“Several experts pointed out the possibility of EVM tampering. Soon after Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, many political leaders including BSP chief Mayawati and SP leader Akhilesh Yadav made allegations of EVM tampering. Why should we go for elections with strong suspicion over EVMs? What is wrong in using ballot paper system where manipulation cannot be done? Many developed countries such as the U.S. have, after realising the possibility of EVM tempering, returned to the traditional ballot paper system,” the Chief Minister said.
Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil, Information Technology & Bio Technology and Tourism Minister Priyank Kharge and Afzalpur MLA Malikayya Guttedar were present.
