Yatnal mocks Karnataka BJP in Assembly, says ignoring Modi model cost party power

Bengaluru: Expelled BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal on Friday mocked the Karnataka BJP on the floor of the Assembly, attributing the party’s poor tally of 66 seats to its failure to emulate the ‘Modi model’.

Yatnal claimed that Siddaramaiah would not have become the Chief Minister for 20 years had the state unit of the BJP walked along the path shown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

During the discussion on the Governor’s address, Yatnal said the first session of the year should set the agenda, besides deciding the direction of policy for governance, while calling on the state to adopt a non-confrontational approach in its engagement with the Centre.

Political rivalry must be kept out of the House, said Yatnal, while stressing the need for a healthy debate to resolve issues.

Accusing the state government of using the Governor’s speech as a vehicle for expressing its criticism of the Centre, Yatnal rued that excessive focus on guarantee schemes had resulted in development being ignored. 

Rejecting the state’s repeated claims of the Centre shortchanging Karnataka in the devolution of taxes, Yatnal said that Karnataka was receiving more in grants
under the NDA than it did when the UPA was in power at the Centre. Citing survey reports, he said that the people across the nation continued to favour the NDA, and back Modi. 

As much as Rs 38,000 crore is pending in dues to contractors from various departments including Water Resources, Public Works, Urban Development, Housing, et al, rued Yatnal.

Delay in settling contractors’ bills was plunging them in debt, he said. Yatnal also called into question diversion of SCP and TCP funds for the implementation of guarantee schemes, besides noting that change in dispensation in the state had not silenced allegations of ‘commission’.