Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah wants Nirmala to be removed from the cabinet

BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to immediately remove Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman from the Cabinet, accusing the minister of not having basic knowledge of the budget.

Siddaramaiah said the finance minister was making a desperate attempt to cover up the injustices done by the Modi government to Karnataka. He noted that Sitharaman’s misleading statements ultimately reveal that the Union government has provided minimal support to Karnataka.

According to Sitharaman, the previous UPA government (2004-2014) allocated Rs 60,779 crore to Karnataka, while the NDA government (2014-2024) allocated Rs 2,36,955 crore.

“However, they forgot to mention how much the Centre’s budget has increased over the past 10 years. Whether this omission is due to ignorance or a deliberate attempt to mislead the public needs to be clarified,” the CM said in a press release.

He said that in 2013-14, the Union Budget was Rs 16.06 lakh crore. At that time, Karnataka received Rs 16,428 crore as grants and Rs 15,005 crore as tax share, which amounts to Rs 31,483 crore, which is 1.9 per cent of the total budget. In 2024-25, the size of the budget from the Centre will be Rs 48.02 lakh crore. During this period, Karnataka will receive Rs 15,229 crore as grants and Rs 44,485 crore as tax share, which is 1.2 per cent of the budget, he said.

If Karnataka were to get the same share of 1.9 per cent as it did in 2013-14, the state would get Rs 91,580 crore. Due to the unfair treatment by the Modi government, Karnataka has lost Rs 31,866 crore for 2024-25, the CM added.

He also accused the finance minister of making misleading statements claiming that the federal government had increased Karnataka’s tax share.

For the past 10 years, the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister have been unjustly allocating taxes and subsidies to states governed by opposition parties, he said. It is ironic that Nirmala Sitharaman, who was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka, has acted against the interests of the state, he added. “Given her actions, she lacks the moral authority to speak on the financial status of Karnataka,” the CM added.

Parameshwara dismisses allegations that investors are not coming to Karnataka

Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara refuted claims that investors are not coming to Karnataka because of the law and order situation. Speaking to the media in Bengaluru, the Home Minister termed the claims of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman baseless.

New companies setting up in India can choose to invest in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and other places. They look at various parameters like tax structure, power supply, availability of land and so on while making their investment decision, he said.

No investor has gone back after coming to Karnataka, he said. Dr Parameshwara said it was not right for the Central leadership to make such baseless allegations against Karna-taka. Bengaluru is a growth engine of the country, the city is known all over the world and they should encourage its growth like they promote New Delhi and Mumbai, he said.

He hit out at the Centre for its stepmother treatment of the state in the Union Budget. “On what basis did they give Rs 15,000 crore to Andhra Pradesh? These states also have to develop and we are not saying that they should not give money to them. But there has to be a basis for giving money,” he said. The minister also questioned on what basis money was given to Bihar.

He said Karnataka contributes significantly in tax collection and they have even gone to New Delhi and approached the Supreme Court seeking more money but they are still doing injustice to the state. He defended the state government’s decision to boycott the NITI Aayog meeting on Saturday. The minister said the police will continue to crack down on illegal immigrants coming to the state and drug peddlers. The police will also take action against those who make fake documents to help illegal immigrants, he added.