With the Opposition mounting pressure on the ruling BJP to demand from the Centre a special package to deal with the COVID-19 lockdown, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said he will “discuss everything” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.
Yediyurappa is scheduled to attend a video conference on Monday afternoon with Modi along with other chief ministers to discuss Lockdown 3.0 and the way forward.
“As chief minister, I will clearly spell out our state's stand with the PM and give suggestions on what should be done,” Yediyurappa told reporters. Asked about the special economic package, he said: “I'll discuss everything there (in the video conference).”
Under Lockdown 3.0, Karnataka has provided sufficient relaxation by allowing economic activities - industries, shops and liquor sale - in line with guidelines issued by the Centre.
The Opposition Congress has asked the CM to press for a Rs 50,000 crore special package from the Centre.
Former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy of the JD(S) added his voice to the Opposition chorus on Monday. Kumaraswamy said Yediyurappa should ask for a ‘COVID package’ for the state.
“Yediyurappa should tell Modi that Karnataka hasn’t received the right amount of financial aid to deal with COVID-19, despite the PM CARES fund receiving liberal donations from MPs, industrialists and citizens,” the JD(S) leader said in a tweet.
Kumaraswamy pointed out that COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Karnataka. “So, we need to tighten our healthcare measures. Also, we need to provide relief to those who have suffered losses. A big state like Karnataka that generates a large amount of taxes for the Centre should get the right package,” he argued, adding that Yediyurappa should ask Modi for the GST compensation, flood-drought relief and other pending funds.
“At this juncture, when the state is suffering financial difficulty because of the lockdown, bringing COVID-19 under control will be hard without assistance from the Centre,” Kumaraswamy said.
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