They came prepared to protest against the budget presentation even before it commenced and eventually, they walked out of the session.
BJP Leaders create ruckus and stage walkout during the Budget presentation on Friday
Prior to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah presenting the state budget on Friday, 16 February, it seemed like the BJP legislators were aware of its contents as they initiated a protest against the yet-to-be- budget.
BJP leaders arrived at Vidhan Soudha for the 2024-25 Budget session with their placards already in place that displayed writings like “enilla enilla, Siddaramaiahana budgetinalli enilla” (There is nothing in this Siddarmaiah budget), even before it was presented in the state Assembly.
They came prepared to protest against the budget presentation by the chief minister even before it commenced and eventually, they walked out of the session.
Siddaramaiah hit out at the BJP and the JD(S) for their “enilla enilla” chorus mocking the budget as having “nothing” and for staging a walkout of the Assembly.
Meanwhile, Congress MLA NA Haris criticised the BJP legislators over their protest.
“What do these people (BJP MLAs) know about the budget? It was only the 11th page of the budget book that was being read out by our CM who has 15 years of experience in preparing the budget. They already come prepared with placards and they walked out even as the introduction was being read out. It would have been meaningful if they had listened to the whole budget and then staged a walkout.”
The buzz of distaste started amongst the BJP legislators during the introductory part of the budget session, when Siddaramaiah said that during the time of the UPA-led Union government, it had taken up people-centric schemes and legislation to provide food security, healthcare, education, employment and housing to bring justice to the poor.
“However, the anti-people decisions of the Union government for the last 10 years have led to alarming developments such as widening inequality, concentration of wealth in few hands and crony capitalism. And therefore, the state government has undertaken the work left undone by the Union government which has abdicated its responsibility,” Siddaramaiah read out.
Delving deeper into the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the chief minister stated: “While introducing Goods and Services Tax, the Union Government had assured that there would be growth of 14 percent and states would be compensated in case of shortage in revenue growth.”
“At a projected growth rate of 14 percent, it was estimated that the GST tax collection would be ₹4,92,296 crore from 2017 to 2023-24. However, only ₹3,26,764 crore GST revenue was collected and against the GST shortfall of ₹1,65,532 crore, the Union government had released ₹1,06,258 crore as compensation to the state,” he said.
“Hence, a loss of ₹59,274 crore was incurred by the state due to unscientific implementation of GST in the last seven years,” Siddaramaiah explained.
CM Siddaramaiah presenting his 15th State Budget
“The previous BJP government led by Basavaraj Bommai in the state failed to rectify the injustice meted out to the state due to the interim report of 15th Finance Commission applicable for the Financial Year 2020-21,” he added.
He claimed that the state suffered severe losses during the Bommai regime due to its “lackadaisical attitude”.
“Further, due to the lackadaisical attitude of the previous government, the state had to suffer severe losses in the final report of the 15th Finance Commission. The change in the method of calculating state income and the use of the 2011 census instead of 1971 resulted in heavy losses to the progressive states,” Siddaramaiah claimed.
“₹2,77,350 crore was to be received by the state, had the allocation formula proposed by the 14th Finance Commission was continued. But the state received only ₹2,15,253 crore. Therefore, it is estimated that during the six-year period of the 15th Finance Commission, the loss to the state under devolution of Central Taxes is estimated to be ₹62,098 crore,” he added.
“Further, the 15th Finance Commission in its first report for 2020-21, recommended to provide ₹5495 crore special grants and ₹6000 crore for the development of Bengaluru in the final report. But the Union government rejected these recommendations. Even though the previous government claimed the existence of double engine government in the state, it was incapable of obtaining ₹11,495 crore of special grants from the Union government,” Siddaramaiah charged during the budget session.
In the middle of the chief minister’s speech, all the BJP legislators, including the leader of Opposition R Ashoka, state BJP president BY Vijayendra and former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, stood up in the Assembly displaying placards that displayed: “Nothing is there in this budget”, “all is bogus”, among other writings.
They created chaos and a ruckus followed by a walkout from the Assembly session. Subsequently, they gathered in front of the gate of the Vidhan Soudha and continued protesting against the ruling Congress in the state.
BJP leaders protesting against the Budget presented by CM Siddaramaiah
Vijayendra said the chief minister, also the custodian of the finances of the state, who presented the budget was anti-farmer.
He claimed that, from the perspective of the state’s development, it was an empty-suitcase budget which would take the state 20 years backwards.
“There are no welfare schemes for the youths in the state. In short, the chief minister is running away from his responsibilities, and in order to bury his mismanagement and misdeeds, he has wasted his time on this budget. He has also spoiled the sanctity of the budget,” claimed Vijayendra.
“He (CM Siddaramaiah) had arranged for a ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest a couple of days ago and embarrassed Karnataka before the country even after being the leader of the entire state. Similarly, even in the budget session, he is blaming the Union government,” Vijayendra stated.
He added that not even a single rupee was allocated in this budget for the development of northern Karnataka.
“The anguished farmers were waiting to see some light from this budget, but the chief minister failed them along with women and weavers who also were forgotten. Even for the anganwadi workers, there is nothing in the budget. Siddaramaiah who is presenting his 15th budget has failed the state and it is a total disaster,” Vijayendra charged.
Bommai asked reporters what Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was doing during the UPA rule. “Did he bring anything to the state? Why does he have to bring it up during the budget session?”
“There are CMs’ meetings and Niti Ayog meetings, he could have brought it up at those forums. The budget’s sanctity has been completely spoiled,” claimed Bommai.
He sarcastically remarked that Siddaramaiah, who was presenting his 15th budget, had brought the state’s loan to ₹1.05 lakh crore and that was an achievement.
“One should understand that out of the ₹1.05 lakh crore, only ₹1000 lakh crore was used for the development of the state and the rest of the money was used for useless activities,” he claimed.
“What all has to come from the Union government has completely reached the state in the form of devolution of taxes. The discrepancy has come under his collection, and he is blaming the Union government for it,” Bommai charged.
The chief minister, who holds the finance portfolio, said Karnataka has never had a precedent of the opposition boycotting the budget.
“There is no example of a walkout during budget… ₹3.71 lakh crore budget was tabled but still they (BJP) say ‘enilla enilla’. That means they have ‘nothing’ in their head,” Siddaramaiah said during a media interaction after the budget presentation.
The chief minister said the BJP leaders don’t believe in democracy and the constitutional system, and that they have gone politically blank. They are seeing the budget with a jaundiced eye, he claimed.
He alleged that the BJP legislators came up with a plan to oppose the budget.
“I don’t say they should not do politics but political comments should be healthy. They comment just for the sake of commenting. They came with a plan not to listen to the budget. I narrated the present condition of the state which they could not digest. They can’t face the truth,” Siddaramaiah said.
He slammed the BJP MPs for not speaking before Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman about the injustice to Karnataka in the allocation of funds.
Siddaramaiah said the state incurred a loss of ₹35,000 crore in food production due to acute drought affecting 226 out of 236 Taluks. He explained that the state government sought ₹18,171 crore as per NDRF norms but the Union government did not give “even a rupee”.
“We asked the Union government to release the funds. It is the tax money collected from Karnataka. It is not the Union government’s money. But till today even after five months of drought, not even a rupee has been released,” the chief minister said.
According to him, the 15th finance commission had recommended ₹5,495 crore to Karnataka along with ₹6,000 for the development of Bengaluru. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced ₹5,300 crore for the Upper Bhadra project in 2023-24 as well.
He added that he had asked the then BJP chief ministers BS Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai to claim it from the Union government. Instead of asking Modi and Sitharaman, they got angry with him, he said.
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