Project started by JDS: HDK   

BENGALURU : Former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Saturday accused the BJP government of taking credit for the programme that was started when he was the Chief Minister.

“We allocated Rs 500 crore for a toy manufacturing cluster in Koppal under the Compete with China initiative that was started when I was the CM. Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa restarted that project,” Kumaraswamy said after the CM laid the foundation stone for the cluster in the North Karnataka district. 

Kumaraswamy said that the State government was claiming that the project was being taken up under the Centre’s Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan, but they (JDS-Congress coalition government) had initiated the project much before that.

“It was done to compete with China and to encourage domestic toy manufacturing industry and also to provide employment opportunities to local youth. Our government had started many such programmes and the CM must consider implementing them. Our programmes always focused on creating employment opportunities,” he said. 

Kumaraswamy had announced the ‘Compete With China’ initiative to strengthen the local manufacturing sector and had allocated funds for it in the State Budget in 2019.