Karnataka Budget: BJP, JD(S) slam Siddaramaiah over ‘appeasement’, claim state government ignored ‘majority’

He highlighted the welfare schemes aimed at minorities – such as Rs 1,000 crore for the development of minority colonies, and Rs 150 crore provided for the repair and renovation of Waqf properties.

Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy, in a post on X, said: “Favoritism for a few! Disregard for the majority! This is the true face of the Congress government’s budget – appeasement over development.” In the hashtags used by the minister in his post, he termed the budget as a ‘Budget of Betrayal’, ‘Majority Ignored’, and ‘Appeasement Over Development’.

BJP Parliamentary Board member and former CM B S Yediyurappa said that the budget has gone in the “opposite direction of the development of the state.” “The only achievement of this government is extending their minority appeasement policy to the budget,” Siddaramaiah added. He took objection to the introduction of 2B category for Muslims in reservation provided in government tenders below Rs 2 crore. The reservation is already being provided to members of Other Backward Classes, Scheduled Caste, and Scheduled Tribe communities in the state.

On the increasing debt burden, Ashok said that Siddaramaiah has created a record in increasing debt of the state. “The total outstanding loans of the government have increased to Rs 7.81 lakh crore,” he said.