CM Siddaramaiah promises MLAs funds, monthly meetings to mobilise resources for 2024 elections

Congress lawmakers Thursday cautioned their government that the party’s prospects in the Lok Sabha elections next year could be impacted without sufficient funds for development works, prompting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to promise them that he will “somehow” mobilise resources.

Concerns over funding infrastructure works dominated the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting held here under the shadow of disgruntlement among lawmakers.

Siddaramaiah said he would hold monthly district-wise meetings of MLAs. This is seen as the CM’s move to keep the gap between the Cabinet and MLAs from widening.

“MLAs are happy with the implementation of the five guarantees. Their only demand is for funds,” Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said. “The CM promised that he’d fulfil the demand of the MLAs.”

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Addressing the CLP meeting, Siddaramaiah explained the financial circumstances when the Congress came to power. “The five guarantees were estimated to cost Rs 58,000 crore. So, I had to prepare the budget extremely carefully. It was inevitable for me to personally sit through meetings to prepare the budget. That’s why I could not focus on other aspects,” he said, seeking to assuage unhappiness among MLAs.

According to sources, MLAs KM Shivalinge Gowda, Basavaraj Rayareddi, BR Patil, Sharath Bachegowda, Vinay Kulkarni among others spoke.

MLAs are said to have complained that local officers are not honouring their directions because district ministers are controlling everything. Some MLAs also raised concerns over ministers not honouring their requests for transfers of police personnel, tahsildars, panchayat development officers (PDOs) and others.

Preempting the heat, ministers volunteered with clarifications at the Cabinet meeting held earlier. They explained the status of transfers in their respective departments. At the CLP meeting, Siddaramaiah apparently asked ministers to listen to MLAs.

Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah is said to have taken some MLAs to task for going public with their letter to him seeking a CLP meeting. “What was the need to go to the media? The media is hostile,” he said, according to sources. “Whatever your grouse is, come to me and discuss internally,” he said.

Targeting the BJP, Siddaramaiah asked MLAs not to fall for the saffron party’s “factory of lies”. He told lawmakers that 97 per cent of citizens are celebrating the five guarantees. “The BJP is scared. They’ll divert people’s attention with lies,” he said, referring to a viral "fake" letter attributed to MLA BR Patil. “Irony is that the lie spread faster than the truth."