Bagalkot, March 28 (IANS) Former Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday accused the Siddaramaiah‑led government of mismanaging the state’s economy and showing “arrogance” by not attending a meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.​

Addressing a press conference in Bagalkot, Bommai alleged that the Siddaramaiah government has earned a “bad name” for damaging the financial system. ​

He said the Congress government had promised to allocate Rs 18,000 crore annually for the Upper Krishna Project but had earmarked only Rs 3,000 crore in the budget, which he termed an injustice to the people of the region.​

He said the Bagalkot by‑election was necessitated by the death of leader H.Y. Meti, with the election being held alongside polls in four states.​

He noted that significant political changes have occurred since the 2023 elections, adding that people’s expectations from the government have been belied.​

Bommai alleged that despite challenges posed by COVID‑19, his government had kept the financial situation under control, whereas the current government has already incurred loans of around Rs 4 lakh crore. ​

He claimed that with three more budgets, the state could be burdened with an additional Rs 6-7 lakh crore debt.​

On central assistance, Bommai said that during the 15th Finance Commission, under the National Democratic Alliance regime, Karnataka received more funds than during the United Progressive Alliance period under the 14th Finance Commission.​

He said railway funding for the state has increased from about Rs 700 crore earlier to Rs 7,000 crore now, and national highway development has expanded significantly. ​

He added that reductions in Goods and Services Tax rates have benefited common people and questioned how tax cuts could be termed an injustice to the state.​

Criticising the Chief Minister, Bommai alleged lapses in implementing schemes such as the Jal Jeevan Mission and claimed that the state had not provided its share of funds for several projects. ​

He also accused Siddaramaiah of failing to attend meetings convened by PM Modi, instead sending ministers.​

He pointed out that Chief Ministers of states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala, including opposition leaders such as M.K. Stalin, had attended such meetings, while Siddaramaiah had also skipped NITI Aayog meetings, calling it a dereliction of duty.​

On Friday, Karnataka pitched for a higher allocation of Liquefied Petroleum Gas for commercial use, particularly for the hospitality sector, during the Prime Minister-Chief Ministers’ meeting. ​

PM Modi called for COVID‑style coordination between the Centre and states to tackle the current situation.​

Karnataka Food Minister K.H. Muniyappa, who represented the state at the virtual meeting in the absence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, said the state urged the Centre to increase LPG allocation for hotels from existing levels.​

“The current allocation provides about 20 per cent for commercial use, while another 20 per cent is allotted to industries, which are being prioritised due to their labour‑intensive nature. We have requested that the hotel allocation be increased to 40 per cent. This will help improve the situation for the hospitality sector,” Muniyappa said.​

–IANS

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