H D Kumaraswamy govt's first six-month show is poor, says B S Yeddyurappa

Bengaluru: State BJP president B S Yeddyurappa on Saturday dismissed the Congress-JD(S) government's performance in its first six months in office as “poor”.

He told the media here that his party would demand replies from Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy during the winter session of legislature commencing early next month in Belagavi. “I have been demanding that the Chief Minister release a white paper about the state's financial situation. He did not do it and spoke lightly about it,” he added.

Mr Yeddyurappa claimed that data collected by him about the government's development works showed that the state's total budget grant was Rs 1,87,996 crore, out of which 39 per cent, Rs 73,440 crore, has been spent. For the corresponding period in 2017, it was 42.40 per cent, he said, adding that most of it was used for government employees' salary and travel. "The (government's) performance is poor," the BJP leader said.

The chief minister, who also holds the finance portfolio, has to explain the planned and non-planned expenditure and the progress made, he added. He also claimed that the state government's performance has been “dismal” under Special Development Plan (SDP), Special Component Plan (SCP) and Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP), Externally Funded Projects, Centrally Sponsored Programmes, and the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, among others. "I urge the Chief Minister to give a clear picture about the figures and the performance... during the Belagavi session we will discuss the financial condition and the progress that has been made by the government," he said.

The BJP has called a meeting of its legislators and MPs on November 29 to decide on the further course of action and agitation against the government.