CM BSY dismisses Opposition’s charges of discrimination

BENGALURU: Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday said works started during the previous coalition government without the concurrence of the finance department and without maintaining fiscal discipline have been halted due to financial constraints, and they will be taken up after the situation improves.

Intervening in a debate on the Governor’s address to the joint session of the state legislature, the Chief Minister dismissed the Opposition charge that the government is deliberately not releasing funds for works in the constituencies represented by Congress and the JDS legislators. 

Several Congress and JDS legislators accused the government of discrimination, leading to heated arguments between ruling and opposition parties. Deputy Chief Minister and PWD Minister Govind Karjol said during the coalition government, some constituencies like Ramanagara and Holenarsipura got nearly Rs 200 crore, while many constituencies in North Karnataka got just around Rs 20 crore.

Former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy objected to BJP members’ allegations that North Karnataka was neglected by his government. He asked the government to come out with a white paper on allocation of funds for all divisions since the formation of the state.

Karjol said the public works department failed to adhere to financial discipline (when H D Revanna was the minister) and sanctioned works that required upto 20 times more funds than allocated. In some instances, works were approved for Rs 59,112 crore, while the grant was only Rs Rs 8,480 crore and the government had to stop the works as they were started without the concurrence of the finance department. 
Revanna hit back at the DyCM accusing him of misleading the house. 

He also accused the government of stopping allocation of funds for an engineering college coming up at former PM HD Deve Gowda’s native village. As many members wanted to take part in the debate, Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri said the CM will respond to the debate when the House reassembles on March 2.

Guha slams Bommai’s ‘false’ apology
Bengaluru: Historian Ramachandra Guha slammed Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s claim that the latter had apologised to him. Guha tweeted, “The Home Minister of Karnataka (Basavaraj Bommai) has claimed on the floor of the state assembly that he apologised to me over the phone for the manhandling by Bengaluru police on December 19, 2019. This is false. I received no call or apology. Even if such an apology had been offered, I would have rejected it. The imposition of Section 144 was illegal (as the High Court has since held) and I was proud to be one of the thousands of peaceful protestors who defied the state’s arbitrary action on that day.”  Guha, who was at an anti-CAA protest outside Town Hall, was arrested on December 18. 

Oppn wants Bidar sedition cases withdrawn
Bengaluru: Congress and JDS legislators demanded that the government withdraw the cases against the Bidar woman and a teacher who were booked on charges of sedition. Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, addressing Upper House, pointed out that the SC order states that police can register a case under Section 124 based on complaints. “One should not dilute complaints. It’s not just our government that is doing this — such cases were registered during Siddaramiah’s government too, as well as during the previous UPA government,” Bommai said. When the Opposition questioned why mother was booked, Bommai said she helped the child in acting in the play. Irked by his comments, JDS and Congress members created a noise in the House.