Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Credit: PTI Photo
Mysuru: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman addressed concerns raised by the Karnataka government, alleging that the Centre has not provided funds for promised programmes and schemes. She said that the responsibility lies with those who made the promises and stressed the importance of honouring commitments.
"It is not PM Modi's fault. Those who made the promises should live up to their word," she said.
Sitharaman was speaking at an interaction hosted by Thinkers Forum in Mysuru on Sunday.
Sitharaman said, "Karnataka was a flourishing economy till recently until the new Congress-led government came to power in the state. It takes approximately Rs 60,000 crore per year to implement all their promised guarantee schemes. I am not against any programmes. But they should tell me if they have worked out their finances and if their budget can provide for such expenditure. Now they accuse us of not giving money to run their government. When the money claimed by the Karnataka state government is not part of the final report of the Finance Commission, how will I allocate it? We do not differentiate between states. It is my duty to present facts before the Court (since the state has approached the Supreme Court over drought relief funds)."
Sitharaman further remarked, "Opposition leaders say PM Modi is not sure of winning the Lok Sabha election. The BJP-led Union government has come out corruption-free in ten years. We have a vision. Our leadership keeps people's interest as its top priority. Everyone has seen how world leaders praised India during G20 summits. If opposition parties have substantial issues, they should raise questions instead of making confusing statements and baseless claims to mislead people."
Encouraging voter participation in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Sitharaman urged people to bring friends along when casting their votes, emphasising that "India and India's development should be the only consideration" during the voting process.