Answering queries on his brother and Congress MP DK Suresh’s comments on dividing India, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister, DK Shivakumar on Thursday said, “I am a citizen of united India. Suresh has only mirrored the disappointment of the people about not getting a fair share of revenues in the Interim Budget announced today. We are all children of Mother India and we have to stay together. South India also needs the same priority and importance that is accorded to the Hindi states.”
Shivakumar lambasted the Interim Budget as “the worst he has seen” and said Karnataka had got a raw deal.
“Karnataka has elected 26 BJP MPs and now the number has gone up to 27. What have all the MPs done for Karnataka? Will the BJP MPs from Karnataka protest in front of the Parliament House at least now?” he said.
He said, “I had called on Union Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, and had appealed for allocation of funds for various projects of Karnataka but nothing has been allocated. Many irrigation projects are suffering due to paucity of funds and several new projects in Bengaluru need funds. She is elected from Karnataka but Karnataka has got a raw deal in the Budget.”
“I had sought time from the Prime Minister to discuss development works in Bengaluru, but did not get the time. An allocation of Rs 5,000 crore announced for Upper Bhadra project in the last budget has not been released yet. Karnataka has got nothing from this budget, it is a very disappointing budget,” he said.
Replying to a query on Mekedatu, he said, “There is a meeting of Cauvery Water Management Authority today and we have sent our officials. We expect a positive outcome,” he said.
Responding to a question on discontinuation of guarantees after the Lok Sabha elections, he said, “Our guarantee schemes will continue for the full five years and that is our commitment. We will come back to power in the next Assembly election and will continue the guarantee schemes.”
Earlier in the day, Congress MP, DK Suresh stirred a controversy saying that discrimination was done on the lines of North India and South India. “If this continues, the country will have to be divided,” he had said.
Suresh had said that the money for South India is allotted to North India. “Due to such favours, the South is facing financial difficulties. If this continues inevitably we will have to raise a voice to make South India a separate nation,” Suresh said.
On the interim budget, he said, “There is ambiguity on the performance of last year. Doubts are beginning to form about the conditions and status of the nation.”
Suresh said that the BJP has made few announcements with regard to elections. “The budget is all about slogans. Those who ridiculed our guarantee schemes are all set to face elections in the name of guarantees,” he said.