Chief Minister Siddaramaiah receiving grievance applications from the public on the MBA College Grounds where he also spoke to reporters in Davangere on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Taking exception to the allegations of corruption levelled against his government by Union Minister and Janata Dal(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said that leaders of Opposition parties should not make baseless allegations. Any allegation should be backed by data or proof of irregularities, he added.
He was speaking to reporters at the helipad on MBA College Grounds in Davangere.
“It is not the job of the Opposition just to make baseless allegations. When they accuse the ruling party of indulging in irregularities, they should back it up with documents and data. They should not make allegations without any basis,” the Chief Minister said.
He was responding to the allegations made by Mr. Kumaraswamy that his government is charging a commission of 60% in all government works.
Bus fare hike
He defended the bus fare hike saying that it has become necessary for the smooth functioning of the State-run transport undertakings.
“Bus fares have been revised from time to time, during the rule of all parties. It is required to ensure optimal revenue flows to the State-run transport undertakings for employee salaries revisions, absorbing diesel price hike, buying new buses and to beat inflation. The last revision was done several years ago and the corporations are suffering losses due to high operational costs. The recent revision will help them stabilise their finances,” he said.
“Why are the Opposition parties targeting us? Were the fares not increased during the BJP or Janata Dal(S) rule? Has the Central government not increased railway fares?” he asked.
He denied reports that political discussions figured during the recent dinner at the house of Minister Satish Jarkiholi. “Why is that being made a big issue? Is it wrong for Cabinet colleagues to meet for dinner?” he asked.
He said that the State government will consider the idea of organising a Vishwa Kannada Sammelan in Davangere. He said that the budget will be presented in March and that the dates will be finalised soon.
To a query on whether there will be a change in the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee presidency, he said that the party high command will decide on the issue.
He said that the issue of Cabinet expansion, reshuffle, including filling vacancy created by the resignation of Minister B. Nagendra, will be decided after discussion with the high command.
To a query, he said that the government will hold elections to taluk and zilla panchayats once the pending court cases are resolved.
He said that the State government is committed to providing internal reservation.
“The Supreme Court has said that internal reservation should be provided and has empowered the States to do it. But since there is no empirical data readily available, it cannot be done immediately. We have formed a committee headed by Nagamohan Das. Work on internal reservation will start once the report is received,” he said.
Published – January 05, 2025 08:16 pm IST