BENGALURU, 20 AUG

BJP and JD(S) members slammed the Congress government over borrowings of Rs 63,000 crore during 2023-24 to fund its guarantee schemes as mentioned in the Comptroller and Auditor General's (CAG) report.

The Opposition MLAs claimed that the borrowings increased by 20 per cent as compared to last year.

BJP MLA Bharath Shetty Y said, "This shows a financial mismanagement by the Karnataka government and a significant deficit. The government is struggling to pay salaries on time, with three to four months of pending wages for contract labourers across various departments, pushing the state towards bankruptcy. The government should release a white paper to transparently address these issues."

"Already, all the MLAs of the ruling party are worried since no development work has been done,” BJP leader Gali Janardhana Reddy said. “This is really bad, as 20 per cent more compared to last year."

In a sharp attack against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, BJP MLA CN Ashwath Narayan said that the rise in taxes and revenue has not translated into public welfare.
Narayan said, "The Chief Minister, despite having over 50 years of experience, has not effectively utilised it in the administration of Karnataka. Since coming to power, the government has significantly raised taxes, collecting over 15 per cent more revenue than promised, yet this has not translated into benefits for the people."

The row began after the CAG report tabled in the Karnataka Assembly revealed that the State government borrowed nearly Rs 63,000 crore during 2023-24 to fund its guarantee schemes.