Budget is like ‘seedless peanut,’ says Karnataka Congress

Bengaluru: Terming the Central budget as a ‘seedless peanut’, the Congress in Karnataka on Wednesday claimed that it has nothing to offer to the people, especially for the State.

In a set of tweets, the party came down heavily on the ruling BJP in the State for “not getting Rs 23,000 crore for the Upper Bhadra project as it settled for a mere Rs 5,300 crore,” as announced by the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the budget.

It also took a dig at the budget for “doing nothing” for farmers in Karnataka.

“The Central government’s budget is like a “seedless peanut”! This budget is similar to the ‘white crow’ called ‘Rs 20-lakh crore package’!” There is no hope for the youth who are desperate for employment, the Congress alleged.

It also flayed the BJP at the Centre for “not coming out with any action plan to control price rise.” “The Central government has belied the expectations of people who were hoping that their suffering will reduce,” the party said.

The Congress slammed the Karnataka unit of the ruling BJP which it said calls itself a “double- engine government”.

It sought to know why Karnataka got “nothing” in the Central budget and why only a “meagre” Rs 5,300 crore has been allocated for the Bhadra Upper Bank Project, which requires Rs 23,000 crore.

It also wondered why Mekedatu and Mahadayi schemes did not find any mention.

The party also took a dig at the budget for not mentioning anything about the capital- intensive suburban rail project in the State.

“The deadline for the work of the suburban train is coming to an end. For the Rs 18,000- crore project, a paltry sum has been allocated, which shows the Centre’s callous attitude towards Karnataka. BJP definitely has no intention of completing it within the stipulated time- frame,” the party said.

Alleging that Karnataka ranks second in farmer suicides among States in the country, the party asked the BJP State unit as to “what was there for the farmers of the State in the budget.” “Farmers’ problems will not be solved by catchy terms like ‘agriculture digitisation’. The Prime Minister does not seem to know the fact that crops cannot be grown with digital technology!” the Congress said.