Bengaluru: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday took potshots on the Congress, saying that its ‘assure’ guarantees in Karnataka had put burden on developmental actions moreover hurting the state price range. Also, the Lok Sabha manifesto of the Congress get together is non-implementable, she added.
“The promises made by the Congress in their manifesto are un-implementable and there will be budget deficit. There would be lack of funds to implement those,” she informed reporters in Bengaluru.
“Do you have a vision for this country? Do you have a hope about how technology and education can help our youth,” she requested. Congress launched its manifesto for Lok Sabha polls on Friday. Sitharaman alleged that Congress makes guarantees only for the sake of it and termed the guarantees as handouts.
“They haven’t got a clear idea of how to give a politically viable alternative to prime minister Modi. Their simple agenda is to remove prime minister from his post and ‘we will come back, but who’s we they are not sure about’,” she mentioned, concentrating on the opposition INDIA bloc.
Sitharaman focused the Congress authorities in Karnataka. “First of all, I want them (Karnataka government) to say why in May 2023, four projects totalling Rs 20,000 crores, were stopped? Why is ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ which is bringing drinking water to every house not being encouraged? They don’t want to do it (avail the benefits of the Centre’s programme) and that is why I was very fascinated by the comment which I think Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has made that he will now, in the context of all the water shortages and everything else happening, he will invest and focus more on irrigation projects rather than building roads,” she mentioned.
“So it’s a conceding of a point by the state’s own deputy chief minister. So it is not Centre giving fund or not. You don’t put it in the right hand. You stop it in May 2023 and then after the year you say no, I will put it all for irrigation. Now they have accepted their own bad planning or you started in one direction, you are going in a different direction. The central government is continuing with its ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ as much as all the commitments which are given for irrigation as well,” she added.
Congress made a slew of guarantees to numerous sections of society in its manifesto together with a authorized assure for MSP, elevating the minimal day by day wage beneath MGNREGA to Rs 400,a confirmed first job and an annual stipend of Rs 1 lakh to educated youth, an help price Rs 1 lakh yearly to a girl from poor households, amongst others.
In Karnataka, the place it wrested energy from BJP final 12 months, the Congress get together’s 5 “guarantees” included 200 models of free energy to all; Rs 2,000 month-to-month help to the lady head of each household; 10 kg of rice free to all members of a BPL household; Rs 3,000 each month for graduate youth; Rs 1,500 for diploma holders (age group of 18-25) for 2 years; and free journey in authorities buses for girls.
Congress bagged 135 seats within the May 10 elections to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly ousting the then-ruling BJP, which received 66 seats whereas the Janata Dal (Secular) secured 19 seats within the outcomes declared on May 13.
Soon after coming to energy within the southern state, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led authorities had for the implementation of these pre-poll guarantees allotted a complete of Rs 35,410 crore in its first full Budget tabled in July.
