BJP pans Congress, says even Vidhana Soudha may be monetised

Bengaluru: The Opposition BJP on Tuesday slammed the Congress government over the state’s finances, with Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka jeering at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah that he may monetise even the Vidhana Soudha to raise resources.

“To save your pauper government, you are moving to utilise 25,000 acres of public assets! Some day, it won't come as a surprise if you pledge or auction off the Vidhana Soudha,” Ashoka said, reacting to DH’s report that the government is considering monetising land near Bengaluru to mobilise resources.

Ashoka, who has been consistently attacking the ruling Congress over challenges posed by the ‘guarantee’ schemes, went after Siddaramaiah’s credentials as finance minister.

“Didn’t you know, as a self-proclaimed economic expert who has presented 15 budgets, what the government’s revenue and expenditure will be? Just four months after the budget, you’ve hiked taxes on petrol and diesel. Now, you’re planning to monetise land. Is this your budgeting expertise?” Ashoka said.

Ashoka said Siddaramaiah should be “ashamed” of pushing Karnataka to such a situation.

Calling Siddaramaiah as “outgoing CM”, Ashoka said, “History will remember that your legacy is a big ZERO.”

Haveri MP Basavaraj Bommai, a former chief minister, said the ruling Congress' plan to monetise assets showed that the government is "completely bankrupt".

Speaking to reporters, Bommai said, "When a family is in financial distress, they sell their ancestral property as the last resort. Similarly, this government has reached its final stage. The government's plan to sell and monetize thousands of years of state assets is proof of the state's financial degradation." He even claimed the monetisation plan is to benefit real estate groups.

Bommai even called upon Siddaramaiah to end ties with Boston Consulting Group (BCG), which the finance department has appointed as its consultant. "The government is taking economic advice from an institution named Boston and making such decisions," he said.

Former BJP national general secretary CT Ravi also accused the Congress of trying to make a windfall from monetising land. "We know that many Congress leaders, including ministers, are associated with the real estate sector. There's a possibility that land may be given to them," he speculated.