Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of lying about the delay in releasing drought relief funds due to the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and termed it as an "injustice" to the people of the state. Siddaramaiah's comments come after Sitharaman defended the Centre's stance, stating that the delay in releasing funds was due to procedural reasons and the imposition of the MCC.
Addressing reporters, Sitharaman had explained the timeline of events, informing that the central government had sought approval from the Election Commission (EC) on March 28 to convene a high-level committee for drought relief. Siddaramaiah countered Sitharaman's claims, stating that Karnataka had submitted its memorandum for drought relief in December and highlighted the state's significant tax contributions to the Centre, news agency PTI reported.
Despite Karnataka's high tax collections, Siddaramaiah lamented the lack of relief from the central government.
“You please give a thought. Narendra Modi is Prime Minister for 10 years. Has he done anything for Bengaluru? He didn’t give you drinking water,” the Karnataka Chief Minister said during an election campaign for Congress's Bengaluru North Lok Sabha candidate Professor M V Rajeev Gowda, as quoted by PTI.
He highlighted that Rs 4.30 lakh crore goes to the Centre as tax from Karnataka.
“When we ask for more (share) from our tax money and relief amount for drought mitigation, they lie,” CM Siddaramaiah remarked.
According to him, the Karnataka Revenue Minister, Krishna Byre Gowda, expressed readiness for an open discussion on the matter, but Sitharaman did not attend. Siddaramaiah accused Sitharaman of lying and avoiding the truth, alleging that she failed to address the state's concerns adequately.
“Shouldn’t Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman attend it or not? She did not turn up. Yesterday she was here in Bengaluru. (She didn’t come) because she has lied, now she cannot tell the truth,” he added. “She has spoken one more big lie. When we asked why no relief amount was given for drought relief, she said that the election code of conduct has come in the way...but we had submitted a memorandum for drought relief in September (2023),” CM Siddaramaiah remarked, as quoted by PTI.
“We had sought the relief amount in December. Yet, not a single rupee was released (for drought relief in Karnataka). Isn’t it injustice to the people of Karnataka?” he asked.
Nirmala Sitharaman Has Admitted That Drought Relief Is Delayed: Karnataka Deputy CM D K Shivakumar
Government officials declared drought in 226 out of 236 taluks in Karnataka, with multiple appeals submitted to the Centre for relief funds. Despite these efforts, no funds have been released, leading to frustration among state officials and leaders.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar criticised Sitharaman's statements, accusing the Centre of injustice towards Karnataka. Shivakumar highlighted the timing of Karnataka's appeal for relief, refuting Sitharaman's claims about the impact of the MCC on fund release.
“Nirmala Sitharaman has said that the announcement of general elections delayed drought relief funds to Karnataka. What is the connection between elections and drought relief? By saying this, she has admitted that drought relief is delayed and Centre has done injustice to Karnataka. She was accusing the state of not doing enough for drought relief," Shivakumar said.
He also contended that the Karnataka government submitted the drought relief appeal four months ago when there was no Model Code of Conduct.
“Now she is giving the pretext of code of conduct. People are aware of the injustice of the Centre. This justifies D K Suresh's ‘Our tax, our right’ campaign, thanks to her, he said in a statement, as per PTI.