Bengaluru, Sep 23 — Karnataka BJP leaders staged a protest near the Kengal Hanumanthaiah statue on the Vidhana Soudha premises on Wednesday, accusing the Congress government of failing to manage the state’s finances and development, and demanding that Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar issue a white paper on the economic condition.
Addressing the protesters, Karnataka BJP president B.Y. Vijayendra alleged that the state government had incurred more than Rs 4 lakh crore in fresh debt, taking the overall debt burden to around Rs 8 lakh crore.
"Except for taking loans, there is no development visible in the state," Vijayendra alleged.
Referring to the Chief Minister’s recent visit to the coastal region, Vijayendra claimed that the state treasury had no funds to support new announcements or provide drought relief.
He said the Finance Department had written to the Chief Minister, cautioning against making new announcements without ensuring financial resources.
"Chief Minister, please do not make any new announcements free of cost. We do not have money in the treasury even to provide drought relief," Vijayendra quoted the Finance Department as saying in its communication.
Vijayendra alleged that the government was making announcements involving thousands of crores wherever the Chief Minister travelled, but was unable to implement them due to the state’s financial constraints.
"Today, they announced that they will provide Rs 32,000 crore or Rs 10,000 crore. There is no shortage of announcements. But the reality is that the state's financial situation has become bankrupt," he said.
Vijayendra said the Congress government was in an "ICU" and alleged that there were no funds available for development or providing relief to farmers and the poor.
"If I have to put it in one sentence, this Congress government itself is in the ICU. There is not a single rupee for development, and there is no money to provide relief to the poor and farmers," he alleged.
He accused the government of relying on advertisements while failing to address the financial difficulties faced by the state.
Vijayendra further alleged that the government was unable to provide pensions to persons with disabilities, old-age pensions and widow pensions.
He also alleged corruption in the education department, claiming that irregularities had surfaced even in the purchase of shoes and socks for students.
The BJP state president also alleged that the government was unable to recruit teachers or ensure timely salaries due to financial constraints, while failing to provide employment opportunities to the youth.
He accused the Congress government of convening a special Assembly session and attempting to shift the blame for the state's financial problems onto the Centre instead of addressing its own shortcomings.
Vijayendra accused the Congress government of being "anti-poor and anti-people" and alleged that Karnataka had been mismanaged under its rule.
He said people could not expect significant development in the coming days if the government's financial position remained unchanged.
"Chief Minister, you have only about one year left in office. Instead of making free speeches, tell the people what the actual financial condition of the state is," Vijayendra said.
He alleged that the government was attempting to mislead people through advertisements and claimed that such publicity would not help resolve the state's financial problems.
Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, and BJP MLAs and MLCs were present during the protest.