Amid reports of difference of opinion between the Janata Dal (S) and the Congress over tabling a new budget for 2018-2019, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy met Congress president Rahul Gandhi at the latter’s residence in New Delhi on Monday and got the green signal for it.
Addressing presspersons there, the Chief Minister said that Mr. Gandhi had also expressed his cooperation on loan waiver issue.
“Mr. Gandhi has given the green signal to present the budget. He has no objections. There are no differences between the coalition partners over budget presentation. It has been a tradition for a government to present a new budget after taking over. A full-fledged budget is necessary to demonstrate the new government’s objectives,” he said.
On the former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s objection to the presentation of a new budget and suggestions that it can only be a supplementary budget, the Chief Minister said: “What Mr. Siddaramaiah has said is his individual opinion out of his experience. He is not objecting to a new budget. However, we have not discussed any issues about individuals during the meeting. We have only discussed political issues and strategies to strengthen the coalition government by chalking out good programmes in the future.”
“His intention on loan waiver and commitment to farmers welfare was evident even in the past. When Mr. Siddaramaiah announced waiver of farm loans from cooperative banks, Mr. Gandhi played an instrumental role. Mr. Siddaramaiah has also said this on several occasions,” he said.
Pointing out that Mr. Gandhi himself had said on various occasions that his party would take up waiver of farm loans if voted to power at the Centre, the Chief Minister said: “We discussed how to go about loan waiver maintaining financial discipline and without deviating from the Physical Responsibility Act.”
To queries, he said that the issue of Deputy Chairman in the Rajya Sabha was also discussed. “For that we are short of numbers. He advised me to discuss the issue with other parties. I will work it out,” he said.
During his visit, Mr. Kumaraswamy was accompanied by Janata Dal(S) secretary-general Danish Ali and AICC general secretary in-charge (Karnataka) K.C. Venugopal.
