BJP has no moral right to protest against price rise: CM Siddaramaiah

Belagavi: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said that BJP leaders have no moral right to protest against the increase in prices of essential commodities through their Jan Akrosh Yatra. Price rise has been witnessed in the country due to the NDA government led by the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the CM said, adding that prices of petrol, diesel and LPG have been increased by the Centre while prices of crude oil have fallen in the international market.

Siddaramaiah told reporters at the airport here on Saturday that the BJP was responsible for the price rise in the country. “We have increased taxes on some of the products and could be earning revenue of about Rs 8,000 crore. Prices of milk have been increased, but the benefits are being passed over to the farmers. BJP, if they want the milk prices to be reduced, it appears that they are against farmers.”

The Centre has increased the price of an LPG cylinder by Rs 50. During the Congress-ruled UPA government, crude oil prices per barrel were 120 dollars and now they are 65 dollars per barrel. “BJP leaders should talk against this, and they do not have the moral right to protest. Price rise in the country is being witnessed due to the wrong policies of the Centre. Prices of LPG cylinders have doubled in the last ten years. Congress had been giving a subsidy, but the BJP-led government has stopped the subsidy too,” he said.

BJP has been responsible for the state’s finances, Siddarmaiah charged, adding former Chief Ministers B S Yediyurappa, Jagadish Shettar and Basavaraj Bommai damaged the financial situation of the state. “During the last leg of the government, they issued work orders for works without funds and the burden has been passed on to us,” he stated.

Siddaramaiah refuted allegations of BJP leaders that the state has become bankrupt. He said, “We have presented a budget of Rs 4 lakh 900 crore, and it was Rs 38,000 crore more than the previous year. If the state’s finances were bad, could we make such a budget? We have availed loans to meet the requirements. The BJP-led central government too has borrowed huge loans. Since independence up to when the BJP government came to power, loans on the country were Rs 53,000 crore, and they have increased fourfold in the last ten years.”

He denied that the caste census report has been brought to divert attention by the Congress government. “The caste census report was the promise made in the election manifesto, and it is needed to know the social and economic status of all the communities. The last caste census was done in the year 1931, and post-independence it has not been done. Empirical data is needed and courts too have asked for it.”

He said, “No survey is 100 per cent. We have conducted about 95 per cent of the survey. I myself come from backward classes and am aware of the need for a caste census. The last population census was conducted in the year 2011, but that too wasn’t a 100 per cent survey. The caste census report will be discussed in the Cabinet and later submitted in the Legislative Assembly.”

Regarding internal reservation for Scheduled Castes and Tribes, Siddaramaiah said, “Justice Nagamohan Das Committee has been appointed, and it is expected to give its report in two months. Empirical data is needed for giving internal reservations too.”