BJP slams budget, says DK needs were sidestepped

Mangaluru: BJP district president Sathish Kumpala said the budget presented by chief minister Siddaramaiah failed to meet expectations and address the concerns of people in Dakshina Kannada.He told reporters Saturday that state govt seemed to have prioritised vote-bank politics and minority appeasement instead of maintaining balance among communities while pointing at the govt announcing Rs 600 crore for upgrading Maulana Azad schools and also earmarking funds for Urdu school upgradation.
The state's outstanding liabilities had crossed Rs 8 lakh crore, Kumpala said, adding that more than Rs 38,000 crore meant for Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan and Tribal Sub-Plan (SCSP/TSP) was diverted to guarantee schemes in the last three years.He said that the govt had made no provision in the budget to lift sanctions for Kambala events despite demands from people's representatives in the coastal districts. "There are no provisions in the budget to promote the IT sector in Mangaluru. Incentives of Rs 5 per litre for milk producers, amounting to about Rs 900 crore, were not released for the past nine months," he said.He added that allocations for various backward classes development corporations had been reduced compared to the BJP govt's tenure. Allocation for Devraj Urs Development Corporation was cut from Rs 190 crore to Rs 50 crore, while Vishwakarma Development Corporation, which received Rs 20 crore during the BJP tenure, was allotted only Rs 6.5 crore by the Congress govt.Mangaluru City South MLA D Vedavyas Kamath said the state "opened up a new path to financial constraints" for Karnataka. "Chief minister Siddaramaiah, who promised a separate budget for the coastal districts, forgot his promises. While no funds were reserved for the development of Billava and Bunt communities, the budget also ignored SC/ST and OBCs," he said.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Women's day wishes, messages and quotes !