Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses Nirmala Sitharaman of 'lying', says BJP trying to taint Karnataka as 'corrupt state'

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday accused Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of ‘lying’ and said the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre has been meting out injustice to Karnataka.

Speaking to reporters here, Siddaramaiah alleged that the BJP was trying to portray Karnataka as a ‘corrupt state’.

“Whenever Nirmala Sitharaman comes to Karnataka, she lies. She claims to have given funds to Karnataka. However, Karnataka has faced the most injustice in the 15th Finance Commission, even though she represents the state in the Rajya Sabha,” he added.

Siddaramaiah said he, along with Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, would visit New Delhi shortly, to discuss on party and government affairs, with the Congress high command.

“In the pre-budget meeting, we pointed out the Centre’s assurance of Rs 5,300 crore for the Upper Bhadra project."

“The 15th Finance Commission recommended Rs 5,495 crore, as special grants for Karnataka. It was said that Rs 3,000 crore will be given for peripheral ring road in Bengaluru. Besides, Rs 3,000 crore was promised for the development of water bodies in Bengaluru. Are they mentioned in the budget?” Siddaramaiah sought to know.

Speaking to reporters here, he said, "None of these are in the budget, is it not injustice? (grants) have been given to Andhra and Bihar, what is given to Karnataka? Union Ministers H D Kumaraswamy and Nirmala Sitharaman could have at least said that they will make efforts to ensure Karnataka gets (its due)."

The Chief Minister was responding to a question on Sitharaman on Sunday dismissing his allegation that Karnataka did not get its due share in the budget this year. She had claimed there was a lot of misinformation being spread about fund allocation.

Sitharaman had also alleged that because of the "worsening law and order situation (in Karnataka), industries are scared and they want to get out.

Siddaramaiah said, "Has any new industry come to his (Kumaraswamy's) Mandya constituency? Has any industrial corridor come to the state? No Mekedatu (project), no industry, the grants we had sought had not come, we had sought for AIIMS in Raichur, IIT for Hassan or Mysuru -- has it happened? What has she (Sitharaman) given to say that no injustice has happened," he added.

"Whenever Nirmala Sitharaman has come (to Karnataka), she has lied," Siddaramaiah said.

"She has lied in the past too, even now she is lying. She claims to have given funds/grants for the state, do you know Karnataka is the state that has faced most injustice in the fifteenth financial commission, despite her representing the state as the Rajya Sabha member."

She has alleged industries are going to other states from Karnataka, Siddaramaiah said and asked, "Do you know that there is a 31 per cent drop in FDI coming to the country, it is because of whom? It is because of policies and programmes; who makes policies and programmes? it is Mrs Nirmala Sitharaman, who is the finance Minister of the country."

Maharashtra is number one in tax collection, Karnataka is number two -- "what is that contribution we have not given?" the Chief Minister said.

Noting that he had boycotted the NITI Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week in protest against the injustice meted out to the state in the Union Budget, Siddaramaiah said, "not just me, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and several other non-BJP Chief Ministers have also not attended, except West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee -- she too had walked out of the meeting, as she was not given time to speak."

Further pointing out that the Centre is accusing the state government of borrowing more loans, he said, " But we have done within the fiscal responsibility act limits -- 25 per cent per cent of the GSDP while they (Centre) have borrowed over Rs 15 lakh crore."

Responding to a question, the Chief Minister said "everyone together should all protest against the injustice meted out to the state."

"....but for them (BJP) to taint Karnataka as a corrupt state... Karnataka is not corrupt. After we (Congress) came to power, we are fighting against the corruption, under our government corruption has come down," he said.

(With PTI inputs)