Siddaramaiah criticises BJP’s opposition to Congress govt’s guarantee schemes

Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Monday, 4 November, alleged that the BJP was opposed to guarantee schemes of the Congress government as they give economic and social strength to all sections of the society.

He said BJP wants the poor and weaker sections to remain as they are so that it can "misuse" them.

"BJP is opposed to guarantee schemes, it is because the government is economically and socially giving to all sections of the society through guarantee schemes. We want to empower people through social justice to ensure that backward communities come to the mainstream," Siddaramaiah said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said: "BJP doesn't want equality, they want inequality and the poor to remain as they are. So we call them anti-poor. BJP misuses poor and people who don't have strength in the society. When you get strength, how can they misuse you? So BJP doesn't want people to get strength economically and socially."

The CM's assertion over his government's schemes comes amid a spat between Congress and BJP leaders, both at state and national level, following deputy chief minister D.K. Shivakumar on Wednesday indicating about revisiting one of the schemes -- 'Shakti' -- which provides free bus travel for all women domiciled in the state.

Siddaramaiah said the Congress government is waging a fight to get justice from the Centre.

Noting that the 16th finance commission that has been constituted had recently visited Karnataka, he said, "We (Karnataka) faced injustice from the 15th finance commission. We (state) are giving more than Rs 4.50 lakh crore as tax per year, what we get back is Rs 55,000-Rs 65,000 crore. Is that right?"

No BJP leader is speaking against injustice happening to Karnataka, he claimed.

"Has Pralhad Joshi (union minister), Basavaraj Bommai and Jagadish Shettar (both MPs and former CM) ever spoken on injustice happening to Karnataka? What should we say, if talking about injustice happening to Karnataka is called political?"

He, however, noted that despite injustice to Karnataka by the 15th finance commission, it had recommended special grants of Rs 5,495 crore, Rs 3,000 crore each for peripheral ring road and for development of lakes, totaling Rs 11,495 crore.

"Did the central government give it? Did Joshi (Pralhad Joshi) ask about it? Let him say if the Centre has given, if given I will quit politics, if not will Joshi quit?" the chief minister said.