From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network

Mysuru, Feb 16: Even as Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is all set to present his government’s final budget before the assembly elections on Friday, February 17, KPCC chief D K Shivakumar attacked the double engine BJP rule in the state and claimed that the engine merely started but did not move forward as expected for developing Karnataka faster.

Addressing the media at the Mysuru Congress office on Thursday, Shivakumar said the Bommai government’s last year’s budget was confined to mere promises and empty slogans with the double engine BJP rule merely starting but failing to move forward and it merely sputtered spewing smoke.

The KPCC chief demanded that the government should release the report card on the performance of last year’s budget ahead of presenting the fresh one on Friday so that the people get to know the performance record. The ruling BJP, which came to power through the Operation Kamala by engineering defections from Congress and JD(S), has presented three budgets and the promises in all the budgets remained unimplemented to a great extent.

“Why the BJP government failed to deliver on its promises? Were the ministers not working or were the officials not responding properly? We want the chief minister to explain why the budget programmes were not implemented,’’ he demanded.

Shivakumar said the BJP failed to fulfill 91% of the promises in 2018. The government had promised to write off farm loans up to Rs 1 lakh in cooperative banks and nationalized banks. But former chief minister B S Yediyurappa, who took the oath by wearing the green shawl in the name of farmers, disappointed the farmers by announcing remunerative prices for farm produce nor set up the Raitha Bandhu Nidhi.

“The BJP government had promised to give 10 hours of uninterrupted 3-phase power supply to irrigation pumpsets but miserably failed,’’ he said lashing out at the ruling BJP and its leaders for criticizing the Congress party’s promise of supplying 200 units of free power to all domestic consumers. ``Both Bommai and Yediyurappa must answer to the people for their failures,” he said.

The State Congress president said the ruling BJP not only failed to implement its budget programmes but also the electoral promises. “We have asked over 170 questions on these issues so far but none have been answered,’’ he said, asking whether the BJP does not honour its own electoral promises.

Shivakumar said the Election Commission was likely to announce the schedule for elections on or by March 7. “When that happens, what is the sanctity of the budgetary promises made on Friday, February 17, and can the BJP or the government implement its budget programmes when the model code of conduct comes into force on March 7,” he asked.

Listing out the BJP’s poll promises, the KPCC Chief asked the Chief Minister to explain how many women have been benefitted under the promises Rs 10,000 crore from the Stree Unnati Nidhi and how many women and girls have been distributed smart phones. “Of the 26 promises made to women, 24 have been unfulfilled,” he said pointing out that 17 out of the 18 promises to youth have not been fulfilled and why the promise of providing free education till degree course.

Shivakumar asked the Chief Minister to mention what happened to the Rs 4,500 crore scholarships of SC/ST/OBC students and why the Rs 15,000 crore housing plan for the SC/ST/OBCs has not materialized. The promise to make the State free of huts has remained a mirage. Of the 339 promises in the budget mere government orders have been issued in respect of 207 and nothing has happened in respect of the 132 promises, he said.

The KPCC Chief accused the Bommai government of fooling and cheating the people on the reservation issue. Mere promulgation of an ordinance by the State does not help as long as the Modi government moves to provide Constitutional protection. ``This is worse that applying ghee on the head or forehead as the people cannot even smell it let along enjoy. The government is similarly fooling the Vokkaligas and Panchamasali Lingahyats,’’ he said asking the BJP to ensure that Prime Minister and Home Minister repeatedly visiting the state implement the reservation promise.

The KPCC Chief asked the government to collect toll on the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway only after ensuring that a proper alternative service road is laid. Why should the people pay Rs 250 toll when people are willing to travel for 3 hours without paying hefty toll, he said.

Shivakumar attacked BJP leader V Srinivas Prasad and BJP MP Pratap Simha to ensure that a proper service road is built first before collecting toll on the expressway. ``These tall leaders are silent now,’’ he said and warned that the Congress party will support the local people for refusing to pay toll charges until the service road is created.

Answering questions on Higher Education Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan’s reported statement that Congress leader Siddaramaiah’s head should be chopped off as was done for Tipu Sultan, Shivakumar said: “Does this leader think Siddaramaiah is a sheep,” he asked whether there was any proof that Tipu Sultan was killed by beheading.

"Anyway, I am not going to respond to this tall leader. Let Bommai, Yediyurappa or J P Nadda reply. Let them say if they want our leader’s head to chopped off like Tipu Sultan? These people are criticizing Tipu Sultan now. But what they did when they were in power? Do they remember what former President spoke about Tipu Sultan in Vidhana Soudha,” he said and asserted that these divisive tactics and strategies of communal polarization will fail.

Earlier, the KPCC Chief and other party leaders visited the residence of former minister and BJP leader H Vishwanath in Mysuru and held cordial discussions with him.