BJP stages ‘Khaali Chambu’ protest against CM Siddaramaiah’s 17th budget

Bengaluru, Mar 6 (PTI) The opposition BJP in Karnataka on Friday staged ‘Khaali Chambu’ protest saying that the budget presented by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is an empty vessel, which has nothing to offer to people.

Holding ‘Khaali Chambu’ (empty vessel), the party legislators, including the Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra, MLC N Ravikumar, MLAs Arvind Bellad and V Sunil Kumar, took out a march on the Vidhana Soudha premises.

Condemning the budget, the protesters raised slogans like "Siddaramaiah’s budget is Khaali Chambu" and "Reproof to the Khaali Chambu government".

Addressing reporters here, Ashoka said the Congress government in the state believes in the philosophy of leading a lavish life on borrowed money.

"This budget is bland. It has no new projects. The only new project is more and more borrowing," he said.

In the last three years, the state added a loan of Rs 4.39 lakh crore on the people of the state, Ashoka claimed. The next governments will not be in a position to pay the interest, let alone the principal amount and the fiscal deficit has reached Rs 97,000 crore, the BJP leader said.

"If Siddaramaiah continues as chief minister for the next two years, our borrowings will reach Rs 10 lakh crore. His government’s borrowing is 10 times more compared to all the chief ministers in the past," Ashoka charged.

He added that there is no reference to new irrigation projects, potholes and garbage crisis in Bengaluru. PTI GMS GMS ADB