Can't become Vishwaguru without 14% of citizens, says CM as Karnataka passes Muslim quota bill

Bengaluru: India cannot become a ‘Vishwaguru’ by depriving 14 per cent citizens of education, healthcare and other needs, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told the Karnataka Assembly on Friday, defending his government’s spending on minorities, which the Opposition BJP has decried as appeasement.

Siddaramaiah was replying to the debate on the 2025-26 Budget.

“Human development index for general categories is 0.644. The difference between them and minorities is 0.274. The difference is 0.204 for STs and 0.154 for SCs,” Siddaramaiah said.

“I want to ask the Opposition: is it possible for a society to progress when one section is handicapped?” Siddaramaiah said, responding to the BJP’s “Halal Budget” jibe. Minorities constitute 14 per cent of the population, the CM noted. “For the welfare of such a big community, we’ve provided Rs 4,514 crore, which is 1.1 per cent of the overall budget. Why such hatred for this?”

Siddaramaiah said it won’t be possible to achieve economic growth without bringing these 14 per cent of people on the track of development. “Also, keeping these communities away is unconstitutional,” he said.

The CM also addressed concerns over the state’s debt position in his reply.

“It’s true that the government, under me, has borrowed Rs 3.12 lakh crore. This has been used for capital investments and welfare programmes contributing to the state’s economic progress,” Siddaramaiah said, adding that capital expenditure has taken the state’s GSDP from Rs 6.95 lakh crore in 2012-13 to Rs 30.70 lakh crore now.

Siddaramaiah continued his attack on the union government for the state’s fiscal woes amid the BJP’s charge that the Congress’ guarantee schemes have eaten into developmental funds.

In 2019-19, when the union budget size was Rs 24.42 lakh, the state received Rs 46,288 under devolution and for centrally-sponsored schemes, Siddaramaiah said. “Now, the union budget size is Rs 50.65 lakh crore, which is a 100 per cent rise from 2018-19. Going by that, the state should’ve received at least Rs 1 lakh crore,” he argued. Karnataka is estimated to get Rs 67,876 crore from the union government in 2025-26.

Siddaramaiah also conceded that Karnataka would face a revenue shortfall of Rs 12,893 crore in the current fiscal -- the government will mop up Rs 1.77 lakh crore against the target of Rs 1.89 lakh crore. "This is happening across the country. It shows that the country's economic growth isn't efficient," he said.

New announcements

Siddaramaiah made two new announcements on Friday. The government, he said, would purchase 2,000 new diesel buses. This is instead of inducting 1,000 buses under the gross cost contract (GCC) model. Siddaramaiah also announced that interest-free cooperative loans up to Rs 5 lakh would be extended to agricultural and rural development banks at a cost of Rs 38 crore.