Bengaluru: Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra, on Friday, alleged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has disappointed the people of the state by presenting the state Budget.
Speaking to media persons, Vijayendra said that when the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah began reading the Budget, it sounded as if it had been written by a literary figure.
“It sounded very good to hear and perhaps felt good to read as well. But it has brought no benefit to the people of the state. Through his 17th Budget, he has given an empty pot to the people,” he added.
Referring to the state government’s borrowings, Vijayendra said that in the previous Budget the state government had borrowed Rs 1.16 lakh crore, while in the 2025–26 Budget the borrowing has been pegged at Rs 1.32 lakh crore.
“In the last three years alone, Siddaramaiah has borrowed Rs 4.39 lakh crore, which has become his record,” the State BJP President alleged.
He said that Siddaramaiah, an experienced Chief Minister, had a golden opportunity to present his 17th Budget but had instead “performed a ritual in water”, implying it was futile.
“This is a dull budget with no vision,” Vijayendra said.
The BJP leader added that while the Chief Minister was reading the Budget, he observed the ruling Congress MLAs and noticed a lack of interest among them.
He claimed that some ruling Congress legislators even approached senior MLAs and remarked that the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had “misled them”.
According to Vijayendra, only seven or eight Ministers were present, while other Ministers and Congress MLAs appeared uninterested in the Budget.
He also criticised the reduction in allocation to the state’s education sector, which he described as a priority sector.
“Last time, 12 per cent was allocated to education, but this time it has been reduced. No priority sector has been given importance. Capital investment has also not been prioritised, and the Budget has not been presented with a development-oriented vision,” Vijayendra said.
The State BJP President added that no one had expected such a state Budget.
He alleged that the Chief Minister had shown little concern for farmers and had failed to prioritise youth or create opportunities for employment.
“The state government is repeatedly depending on the Excise Department because it is unable to mobilise funds for its five guarantee schemes,” Vijayendra charged.
He also alleged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was expecting Rs 45,000 crore in revenue from the Excise Department this year as well.
“The Chief Minister seems to be trying to turn the state into a state of drinkers,” Vijayendra said.
He also criticised the state government for not giving adequate attention to the health department and irrigation projects and for failing to show concern for the development of North Karnataka.
Vijayendra alleged that even Mysuru district, the birthplace of the Chief Minister, had not received any significant allocation.
He also accused the state government of completely neglecting the coastal region of the state.
“Perhaps because the coastal region has been a strong support base for the BJP, it has not even been mentioned,” Vijayendra said.
He concluded that the state Budget lacks a comprehensive vision for the development of the entire state, including the coastal region, North Karnataka and Central Karnataka.
(IANS)
