Siddaramaiah accuses Centre of withholding funds, slams Karnataka MPs for inaction
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah came down heavily on the Union government on Wednesday, accusing it of withholding crucial funds owed to Karnataka and branding state-funded schemes under the Centre's name.Speaking at the state-level District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) committee meeting held at Vidhana Soudha, the Chief Minister said, 'Though Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced Rs 5,300 crore for the Upper Bhadra Project, not a single paisa has been given.'advertisementHe added that the state had written multiple letters to the Centre and Union Ministers, including the Prime Minister, read out some of these letters during the meeting to draw the attention of MPs.
Siddarmaaiah pointed out that Rs 11,495 crore was due to Karnataka, including Rs 5,495 crore in special grants under the 15th Finance Commission and funds for lakes and the Peripheral Ring Road. 'Not a single rupee has been released,' he said.'I personally met Nirmala Sitharaman twice and appealed, but still, nothing was given,' he said.Expressing frustration, Siddaramaiah called out the lack of effort from the state's MPs. 'Why haven't MPs spoken even once in support of the state in the past two years? Don't try to escape responsibility,' he said, urging both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members to press the Centre for action.advertisementHe also flagged the pension dues from the Centre, saying, 'The state government continues to pay Rs 5,665 crore in pensions. However, the central government contributes only Rs 559 crore. Even this small amount hasn't been released for the past two years. Why is that?'Taking aim at the Centre, he said several welfare schemes mostly funded by the state were being branded under the Prime Minister's name, despite minimal financial support from the Union government. 'Shouldn't this ongoing injustice be questioned?' he asked.Siddaramaiah said that despite Karnataka contributing Rs 4.5 lakh crore in taxes, the Centre had failed to support the state adequately. 'You accuse us of not having funds for development, while you hold back what is rightfully ours,' he said.
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