'Yeddyurappa did not say that': Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar on Rs 50 crore bribe allegation

Speaker Ramesh Kumar's statement has raised several questions regarding the coalition's stability.

Theja Ram

After Chief Minister Kumaraswamy's explosive press conference on Friday, where he released an audio recording purportedly of BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa saying he had "booked the Speaker for Rs 50 crore," the Speaker of the Karnataka Assembly has refuted the allegations. Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar said that he could not easily discern the identity of each voice on the recording and that Yeddyurappa did not say he had bribed him. "I received the audio and before speaking to you (the media), I listened to it carefully. One cannot understand who said what to whom in that tape. Yeddyurappa did not say that he had bribed the Speaker. Some leaders who were trying to convince him (Sharangouda) said that Speaker is a Congress person and someone else who was present said that he had spoken to the Speaker. One cannot clearly determine who spoke those words," the Speaker said. Read: Kumaraswamy's explosive allegation: BJP offered bribe of Rs 50 crore to Speaker He further stated that he would bring up the issue in the Assembly on Monday and launch an official inquiry into the issue. "It is not permissible for anyone to take the Speaker's name so lightly and not respect the position. Obviously someone spoke about it, but Yeddyurappa did not. When I don't know who said it, what reaction can I give?" Ramesh Kumar added.   When asked if he did not think the voice sounded like Yeddyurappa's, Ramesh Kumar lashed out against a journalist and said, "You are not doing journalism, you are doing policing. Speak with responsibility. Yeddyurappa was a former Chief Minister. I was a Speaker of the Assembly 24 years ago. He is the Leader of Opposition. You can't be talking like that." Soon after the Speaker's statement, the BJP took to Twitter claiming that Ramesh Kumar was in turn exposing Kumaraswamy's accusations as false. "With every promise of his failing and his Unholy Alliance Government surviving on a day-to-day basis, CM HD Kumaraswamy has lost the trust of Kannadigas. To hide his failures the "Crying Star" comes up with a new audio CD created by Mimicry Artists to malign," BJP MLA from Chikkamagaluru CT Ravi tweeted. With every promise of his failing and his Unholy Alliance Government surviving on a day-to-day basis, CM @hd_kumaraswamy has lost the trust of Kannadigas. To hide his failures the "Crying Star" comes up with a new audio CD created by Mimicry Artists to malign @BJP4Karnataka. — C T Ravi (@CTRavi_BJP) February 8, 2019 Friday was a day filled with drama in Karnataka politics with the Chief Minister hurriedly organising a press conference to "expose" the BJP's Operation Lotus. Several questions were raised regarding the veracity of the tapes, however. Congress insiders say that Ramesh Kumar's statement comes as a shock to many within the party. "DCM Parameshwara was with CM Kumaraswamy to show solidarity. Ramesh Kumar's open show of support was not expected. Yes, he is disgruntled with MLAs. He does not want the pre-poll alliance to happen with JD(S) for the Lok Sabha elections because this would mean that he would have to rally behind the JD(S) candidate in a region where the Congress' primary rival is JD(S). Several party leaders believe he may have spoken with BJP too. But these are just reactions to what he said. We will have to look into the matter," a Congress source said. Kumaraswamy's allegations came amidst the BJP's attempts to poach Congress and JD(S) leaders in order to topple the coalition government. Kumaraswamy paraded Gurmitkal MLA Nagangouda Kankur's son Sharangouda and alleged that the BJP had called him for a secret rendezvous at Devadurga, where BJP state President BS Yeddyurappa allegedly offered him Rs 20 crore, a ticket to contest elections and also the post of district-in-charge minister to his father. Read: How Sharanagouda, a young JD(S) worker, allegedly trapped BJP bigwig Yeddyurappa These allegations were made in the midst of massive speculation that the coalition partners were constantly bickering and that the government would topple due to the game of one-upmanship being played between Congress and JD(S) leaders. The Congress has also decided to disqualify four Congress MLAs - Ramesh Jarkiholi, Umesh Jadhav, Mahesh Kumattalli and B Nagendra. Siddaramaiah confirmed this to the media on Friday and said, “The CLP (Congress Legislative Party) has taken the decision to move for legal action against the four under the antidefection law." The four MLAs have been cooped up at the Renaissance Hotel in Mumbai since January, waiting for the BJP to gather more defectors to topple the government. 

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Increase in excise duty to farm loan waiver: Here are the K'taka budget highlights

Budget

In order to rid the government of the "Hassan-Holenarasipura budget" tag, the state government also allocated Rs 5 crore to encourage farmers of coastal and Malnad region to cultivate paddy.

TNM Staff

Amidst high drama in the Karnataka Assembly, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy presented the budget for the 2019-20 fiscal. As expected, the coalition government announced an increase in excise duty on beer, draught beer, and beer and low alcohol beverages manufactured in micro breweries. The government has established Rs 20,950 crore target of collection of revenue from the excise department in the 2019-20 fiscal.   The budget also announced a slew of initiatives for farmers including additional allocations made for farmers in Old Mysuru region. However, in order to rid the government of the "Hassan-Holenarasipura budget" tag, the state government also allocated Rs 5 crore to encourage farmers of coastal and Malnad region to cultivate paddy. The government has also set a target of Rs 7,100 crore as the revenue to be collected from transport agencies. The budget, however, does not mention, whether there will be an increase in bus and metro fares. Read: Amid drought, HDK announces Rs 900 crore relief for K’taka farmers   The budget resembled the one announced in 2018-19 with the coalition government replicating several schemes started by the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government. However, this year's budget had no mention of the 'Raitha Belaku' scheme, which was started by Siddaramaiah in 2018. Primary, secondary and higher education The government has proposed to construct of 1,500 new classrooms, upgrade 5,000 classrooms, distribute learning equipment to 1,000 schools and appointment of one Estate Manager for the maintenance of school buildings. The government is also planning to make CET exam an online one. The budget also proposes the bifurcation of Visvesvaraya Technology University (VTU). One of the headquarters of VTU will also be shifted to Hassan. The budget also had unimaginative allocations for public schools and colleges, with barely any funds for the sector. Health and family welfare After the outbreak of Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) or monkey fever, the government has proposed the establishment of Kyasanuru Forest Disease Research and Treatment Unit at Shivamogga District Hospital at a cost of Rs 5 crore A grant of Rs 950 crore for “Ayushman Bharath-Arogyakara Karnataka” has been allocated by the state government, which is more than the Rs 409 crore by the Central government for the 2019-20 fiscal, Kumaraswamy announced. Kumaraswamy also announced the construction of a cancer hospital in Tumakuru at the cost of Rs 60 crore. ASHA workers have been allocated Rs 25 crore for the enhancement of their pay by Rs 500 per week which will come into effect on November 1, 2019. Medical education The government has proposed the construction of 450-bed hospitals in Karwar Institute of Medical Sciences, Kodagu Institute of Medical Sciences, and Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health in Bengaluru at the cost of Rs 350 crore. The budget also proposes the construction of a separate 300 bed hospital of Sri Jayadeva Cardiology Institute at Kalaburagi under the Hyderabad-Karnataka Development Board at a cost of Rs 150 crore. Since the coalition government came to power, this is the second time Chief Minister Kumaraswamy has allocated grants for Jayadeva Hospital, where his brother-in-law Dr CN Manjunath is a director. Women and child welfare A  grant of Rs 470 crore has been set aside for the Chief Minister Mathrushree scheme and the monthly grant to pregnant women has been increased from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000. This will be effective from November 1, 2019. The government has also proposed to enhance the honorarium being paid to Anganawadi workers by Rs 500 and by Rs 250 to the helpers with effect from November 1, 2019. The budget has allocated Rs 3 crore for conversion of the Juvenile Special Courts of 10 districts into Child Friendly Courts. Commerce and industries A “Tumakuru Industrial Node” is being set up across 9,629 acres of land at Vasanthanarasapura in Tumakuru District under the Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor Project. The government is also planning to implement a rail-based multi modal transport system between Vasanthanarasapura, Tumakuru, Ramanagar and Bengaluru along a separate track. The Karnataka government has proposed a new Industrial Policy for attracting investment, new technologies and generation of additional employment in the priority sectors of the backward areas of Tier-2 and Tier-3 centers. A grant of Rs 110 crore has been set aside for the Chief Minister's ambitious “Compete with China” scheme. The government is also planning to organise “Global Capital Investment Conference” in January 2020 and also develop industrial areas in Arasikere, Nagamangala, Chittapur, Mulavad, Kanagala and Madhugiri through Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board.  

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In a first, Rs 3 crore for making juvenile courts child-friendly in Karnataka

Budget

The POCSO Act mandates that child-friendly courts be set up to make the criminal justice system less traumatic for the child survivor and their family.

TNM Staff

K'taka's first child-friendly court, inaugurated in Aug 2018

The Karnataka budget for 2019-20 was presented by Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy in the Assembly on Friday. In a first, the state government allocated Rs 3 crore for the conversion of juvenile special courts into child-friendly courts in 10 districts in the state. Earlier, allocations have been made for the same, but this appears to be the first time that this has found mention in the state budget. The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act mandates that child-friendly courts be set up to make the criminal justice system less traumatic for the child survivor and their family. These courts are to create a child-friendly atmosphere through a number of measures – ensuring that the perpetrator and survivor do not come into direct contact, allowing the child to take frequent breaks during trial, allowing a parent, guardian, relative or an adult the child trusts to be in court, and so on. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act also provides for setting up children’s courts in every district in a state under Sections 25 and 26 of the Act. Further, the Supreme Court had in February 2018 urged Chief Justices of all High Courts to establish child-friendly courts in each district. “It is often said that the experience in our courts of a juvenile accused of an offence or the victim of a sexual offence is traumatic. We need to have some compassion towards them – even juveniles in conflict with law, since they are entitled to the presumption of innocence – and establishing child-friendly courts and vulnerable witness courts is perhaps one manner in which the justice delivery system can respond to ease their pain and suffering,” a bench of Justices MB Lokur and Deepak Gupta had observed. Six months after this, in August, Karnataka got its first two child-friendly courts. On August 5, 2018, two courts were inaugurated in the Bengaluru city civil court complex near Mysore Bank Circle, one each for Bengaluru urban and rural. The salient features of the court include two halls separated by a glass wall, in order to prevent contact between the child and the accused. They are also equipped with video conferencing facilities between the court hall and the waiting room, in the scenario that the child is not comfortable deposing before the court or if the family/guardians of the child want to see the court proceedings from the waiting room. The waiting areas are also equipped with toys and storybooks to provide a welcoming and calming environment for child survivors and witnesses. CM Kumaraswamy presented the budget at 12.30 pm on Friday after much political drama in the morning. The Chief Minister, in an explosive presser, alleged that BJP Karnataka chief BS Yeddyurappa had offered bribes to MLAs, as recently as last night, in an attempt to topple the Congress-JD(S) alliance in power in the state. He released a tape, which featured a conversation between people purported to be Yeddyurappa, a JD(S) MLA’s son Sharan Gouda, and a few others.

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How Sharanagouda, a young JD(S) worker, allegedly trapped BJP bigwig Yeddyurappa

Politics

Dressed in a green shirt, the young man looked like any other party worker at first. But then, HDK called him forward, adjusted his mic, and asked Sharanagouda to tell his story.

Haripriya Suresh

Prajwal Bhat

“This is a great opportunity for you. I will take care of you like my own son. Don’t break your head over anything. Leave all the responsibility to me. If I give my word once in my life, if I make a promise, I’ve never gone back on it or betrayed anyone,” the voice declared. But it’s not a viral clip of an emotional dialogue by a parental figure in a movie. These were allegedly Karnataka BJP president Yeddyurappa’s words to Sharanagouda Kandakur, an unknown face in Karnataka politics – at least, until 10 am on Friday morning. But come Friday, the day of the Karnataka state Budget, and the state was witness to the stuff of political thrillers, as Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy ‘launched’ Sharanagouda in the public eye. The young man in his early thirties, dressed in a green shirt and standing around the stage at the Chief Minister’s press conference, looked like he was any other enthusiastic party worker at first. Until Kumaraswamy called him forward, made him sit next to himself, and claimed that this young man had tricked and trapped Yeddyurappa, one of the bigwigs of Karnataka politics, and made him reveal the game plan for Operation Kamala. All eyes had been on Chief Minister Kumaraswamy on Friday morning, who was set to present the state Budget. However, the CM had other plans, as he, armed with the blessings of his sister, decided to take on the BJP-led government in the Centre and the party in the Karnataka, and specifically, BJP state president BS Yeddyurappa. He had a few tricks up his sleeve – and Sharanagouda was his winning hand. As Kumaraswamy beckoned him forward and made him sit right next to him, even adjusted his mikes so the young man was fully audible, Sharanagouda was all smiles. “Last night, around 11 pm, I got a call saying Yeddyurappa will talk to me,” he began, and with that one line, he had captured the attention of the room. The trap that the prey laid out Sharanagouda is the son of the JD(S) MLA from Gurmitkal, Nagangouda Kandakur, who is 72 years old. A third-generation JD(S) man by his own admission, Sharanagouda has been helping his father manage his constituency for several years now. If the young man is to be believed, the BJP tried to woo him as he is the heir to his ageing father’s legacy, and the party believed that if they could convince him to switch sides, they would move closer to the numbers they need to topple the government. “‘Everything has been okayed. Some 11 people from the Congress and JD(S) are coming,’ I was told. They then told me they'll give me Rs 20 crore, and that they will give me a ministerial post,” Sharanagouda told his audience at the press conference. When Sharanagouda allegedly got the call from Yeddyurappa’s people on Thursday night, he immediately devised a plot to trap the opposition party in their own net. He informed HD Kumaraswamy, his brother and his father about the call he received, and set out to Devadurga for his midnight rendezvous. The recorder on his phone, all the while, was switched on. The promise of fatherly love When Sharanagouda reached a circuit house in Devadurga, he said he met Yeddyurappa in the middle of the night. With his recorder on, he participated in a conversation where money, ministerial berth, and fatherly love and concern were promised. Several people were present at the circuit house, he said, and he was taken inside by Hassan MLA Pritam Gowda and Devadurga MLA Shivana Gouda Nayak. In the tape that has been released by JD(S) are four distinct voices – purportedly those of Sharanagouda, Yeddyurappa, and two BJP leaders. One of the two unnamed voices gives a glowing introduction to Sharanagouda, and talks about how he handles all the work in his father’s constituency. And then, the voice supposedly that of Yeddyurappa said, “I will take care of you like my own son.” He adds, “I will give cash for the election, too.” The details of Operation Kamala “You come to Bombay. Dr Sudhakar (Congress MLA from Chikkaballapura) also has joined us like this, in Bombay,” the man said to be Yeddyurappa tells Sharanagouda in the tape. He then reveals the game plan for Operation Kamala. Eleven MLAs from Congress and JD(S), including Dr Sudhakar, are allegedly holed up in a hotel in Bombay. Two more were on their way to join them on Friday, and if Sharanagouda agreed, there would be 14 in total. “We just need one more person, that’s all. We’re not going to promise them any ministerial posts or anything of the sort,” Yeddyurappa allegedly said. The person alleged to be the opposition leader goes on to add that they were offering ministerial positions to 12 people, each of whom was being offered Rs 10 crore for elections; six to eight others would be offered the chairman position on different boards. “Your father need not come at all,” he cajoles, “You come there, and once there are 14 people and everything is fixed, you tell your father to give his resignation.” “It’s our responsibility to make you MLA, your responsibility is to finish your father,” he adds. The names While Chikkaballapura’s Congress MLA Dr Sudhakar is one name that Sharanagouda allegedly managed to milk out of Yeddyurappa, another big reveal was that the Speaker of the Assembly, Ramesh Kumar, has allegedly been bought over by the BJP – for a sum of Rs 50 crore. In a second audio tape, the voice supposedly that of Yeddyurappa can be heard saying, “Ramesh Kumar is a good friend. I will tell the Governor that it will be against the Constitution for the coalition to continue as they don’t have majority. Amit Shah and Modi and will ensure that the Governor will side with us. Even if the Speaker creates problem, they will take care of it.” Repeatedly in the audio, ‘Yeddyurappa’ can be heard telling Sharanagouda that he is a man of his word, and that he will not betray the young man. But Sharanagouda’s idea of loyalty and betrayal is different. At the press conference on Friday, he declared, “My intention is not to trap anyone. My intention is – I'm a third generation supporter of the Deve Gowda family. It is because of Deve Gowda family and the blessings of the people of Gurmitkal that I am here.” The other father figure For Kumaraswamy, that Sharanagouda pulled this off was a moment of pride. As he was leading up to the release of the tape, the Chief Minister talked about how Sharan had called him in the middle of the night to alert him. “Because of sincere party workers, our party is still alive,” the CM said, just as he made allegations against BJP of trying to sabotage his political career.

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Amid drought, HDK announces Rs 900 crore relief for K’taka farmers

Budget

Kumaraswamy said that Rs 5,450 crore has been released as part of the coalition government's flagship farm loan waiver scheme in July 2018.

TNM Staff

In a trend that continued from the first budget presented by the JD(S)-Congress coalition government in power in Karnataka, a slew of farmer-oriented measures were announced by Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Friday. Rs 900 crore has been released for drought relief by the state government as more than 150 taluks in the state have suffered from severe drought. “Due to droughts and floods, our farmers have suffered. The other big issue is that farmers are not getting the market price they deserve,” Kumaraswamy said while presenting the budget. Out of 176 taluks in the state, 156 have been affected by drought in the rabi season (October to January), further aggravating the crisis plaguing farmers in the state. Kodagu district meanwhile was devastated by landslides in August 2018 affecting the produce of thousands of small farmers, particularly coffee growers in the district. He also claimed that Rs 5,450 crore has been released as part of the coalition government's flagship farm loan waiver scheme in July 2018. A grant of Rs 6,500 crore for waiver of loans of farmers with commercial banks and a grant of Rs 6,150 for farmers with loans in cooperative bank was announced. A total of Rs 46,853 crore to the agriculture-related departments is in the budget. This includes Rs 145 crore for the development of the Israeli irrigation model and Rs 40 crore for the development of Zero-Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF). The Israeli irrigation model makes use of drip irrigation methods to conserve water, while ZBNF is a set of natural farming methods where cost of growing and harvesting plants is zero. Grants have also been announced to encourage pomegranate, grape and mango growers as well as for bee and gherkin farmers. Millet farming has once again received special attention with a cash incentive of Rs 10,000 per hectare announced under the ‘Raitha Siri’ scheme. Moreover, a Rs. 510 crore grant was included to provide minimum support price to 12 notified farm produce in all Agricultural Produce Market Committees. A grant of Rs. 10 crore was also granted for providing profitable price to 6 minor millets and marketing facility in HOPCOMS, Nandini and other outlets.  However, a glaring omission among the series of farmer-friendly initiatives was the ‘Raitha Belaku’ scheme announced by the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in 2018. Under this scheme, farmers in drought affected areas are supposed get a monthly Rs 5,000 per hectare if the monsoons fails. The scheme did not figure in the previous budget announced in July 2018 and has been scrapped in favour of the loan waiver scheme. This means that the Rs. 3,500 crore earmarked for the project last year will not be released.   

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Steel flyover to pedestrian-only Brigade Road: What Bengaluru got in the budget

Budget

Presenting the state budget on Friday, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy announced that Rs 1.02 lakh crore will be set aside for the development of Bengaluru.

TNM Staff

From converting Brigade Road to a pedestrian-only street to focusing on the traffic problem, the Karnataka budget for the 2019-20 fiscal has proposed huge sops for the development of Bengaluru city. In addition, the controversial steel flyover project also made an appearance in this year’s budget. On Friday, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy announced that Rs 1.02 lakh crore will be set aside for the development of Bengaluru. “This year, the focus will be on effective garbage disposal and streamlining transport facilities,” Kumaraswamy said. However, most of the budgetray allocations for Bengaluru are merely for projects, what were started during Siddaramaiah's reign as the CM. So what did Bengaluru get in the 2019-20 state budget? A grant of Rs 1,000 crore has been set aside to construct elevated corridors. The state government has proposed the reconstruction of large storm water drains within a span of three years. It also plans to establish power generating plants out of the water processing units and solid waste processing units. A grant of Rs 50 crore has been set aside for the implementation of a “comprehensive mobility scheme”. CM Kumaraswamy said, “Priority will be given to public transport and stabilisation of public transport. This will include all aspects and all types of movement facilities. We have also set aside a grant to increase the number of BMTC buses and develop at least 50 km of pedestrian roads.” The budget also proposed the implementation of the Nava Bengaluru Kriya Yojane at an estimated cost of Rs 8,015 crore. A grant of Rs 2,300 crore has been set aside for the scheme for the current fiscal. The government proposed the conversion of Brigade Road and Commercial Street into pedestrian-only stretches, considering the massive bottlenecks caused on these two roads. It has also allocated money for converting 5 lakh streetlights into LED.  The government also wants to set up a 400 metric tonne capacity solid waste processing unit under PPP. However, the CM did not specify where the plant is set to come up. The government also plans to enact the ‘Parking Rules and Implementation Policy’ in the city, where parking facilities will be available for 10,000 vehicles in 87 selected smart parking systems. A new underpass at Goragunttepalya has been proposed at the cost of Rs 195 crore. In addition, a loop construction along the existing Hebbal and KR Puram Flyovers has been proposed. Suburban rail and transport The government has estimated the cost of constructing the suburban rail network at Rs 23,093 crore, which has been set aside for the current fiscal.  The government has also commissioned a feasibility study for the design of a Multi Modal Transport Hub at Hebbal, Byappannahalli, KR Puram, Kadugodi, Challaghatta and Peenya areas. It also proposed the construction of necessary infrastructure for the Inter-Modal Integration design in Bengaluru Metro, and Traffic and Transit Management Centres located at Yeshwantapur, Banashankari, Vijaynagar and Peenya. It also proposed conversion of the metro rail from 3 coaches to 6 coaches for 50 trains in the city. In addition, charging facility will be made available for two-wheeler electric vehicles in selected 10 Metro stations and a small capacity of BMTC buses will provide last mile connectivity for selected 10 Metro stations. The state government has also set aside Rs 16, 579 for the Metro line from Silk Board junction to the Outer Ring Road-Airport via KR Puram and Hebbal. After a delay of over two decades, the government has set aside Rs 1,000 crore for the construction of the Peripheral Ring Road in the 2019-20 fiscal. The project is estimated to cost Rs 17,200 crore. The government is also mulling the construction of metro rails in Mysuru, Mangaluru and Hubballi-Dharwad. Water supply and sewerage The government allocated Rs 500 crore for the current fiscal for the construction of Cauvery Water Supply Scheme Stage V. The project is estimated at a cost of Rs 5,550 crore and is being constructed in partnership with the Japanese company, JICA. The government proposed infrastructure changes to prevent 914 entry points where sewage is entering storm water drains and has allocated Rs 76.55 crore for the project. The government also allocated Rs 9 crore for the establishment of 17 Continuous Water Quality Monitoring Stations at polluted lakes, including Bellandur, Agara tank and Varthur lakes.  Scheme for flow water into Arkavati and Dakshina Pinakini rivers using the water resources available in Bengaluru; BMRDA programme to harvest rainwater; protection and rejuvenation of all ponds and water bodies coming under the catchment areas; re-use of waste water after purifying; maintaining cleanliness in public places that are adjacent to Arkavati and Dakshina Pinakini rivers was also proposed. This scheme will ensure availability of 1400 MLD of additional water. A committee headed by the Chief Minister will be set up to implement this scheme for which a grant of Rs 50 crore has been set aside. 

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Live Blog K'taka Budget: After accusing BJP of bribing Speaker, CM presents budget

Budget

Like in the previous budget, HD Kumaraswamy has once again promised to fulfil the Rs 46,000 crore farm loan waiver in the second budget.

TNM Staff

An explosive presser by Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy preceded the state budget session. Kumaraswamy accused BJP Karnataka Chief Yeddurappa of offering bribe to a JD(S) MLA’s son in order to break the Congress-JD(S) coalition in power in the state, and released the tape in an attempt to implicate him. Yeddyurappa called the audio fake, and denied all allegations. The happenings pushed the budget session to the afternoon. As in the previous budget, Kumaraswamy has once again promised to fulfil the Rs 46,000 crore farm loan waiver in this budget, too. The current budget is expected to dole out sops to the farmers, just like the interim Budget presented by the Union government. Farmers have demanded that the coalition government drop the numerous conditions for the loan waiver scheme and has sought higher compensation for crop damage due to floods and drought. "Without violating Fiscal Responsibility Act, I am clearing it completely with allocation for it. In the next financial year, the money that will be released will clear the Rs 46,000 crore loan waiver commitment made," Kumaraswamy had told the media last week. The farm loan waiver scheme is expected to be implemented in one stroke with adequate budgetary allocation, instead of completing the process in four stages as was planned earlier.    

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