Karnataka CM taking entire cabinet to Delhi is 'undemocratic' and 'insult' to people: BJP

Bengaluru: Opposition BJP in Karnataka on Thursday took strong exception to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for taking his "entire cabinet" to New Delhi, before the Congress high command, terming it "unprecedented" and "undemocratic", and insult to the people of the state, who have elected this government with a huge majority.

Questioning whether the cabinet is reporting to Congress high command, senior BJP leader and former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai alleged that Siddaramiah is a weak leader, compared to his earlier stint as the Chief Minister.

"Siddaramaiah taking his entire cabinet to Delhi is unprecedented. Never in the history of Karnataka politics, a Chief Minister has taken his entire cabinet to the party high command," he said.

Speaking to reporters here, he questioned whether the cabinet is reporting to Congress high command. The cabinet is supreme in the state's administrative system and that supremacy has been "pleaded" before the Central leadership.

Noting that Congress general secretary incharge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala had earlier attended the officers' meeting here and had tried to interfere in the administration, the former Chief Minister said, the party high command asking all the ministers to appear before it when there are rains and flooding in the state, also drought in some parts, is really undemocratic.

"It is a democratic government here, and if at all anything is to be done, a few leaders (from high command) could have come here or called a few ministers there, but calling the entire cabinet is really undemocratic and it is an insult to the people of Karnataka who have elected this government with a huge majority," he added.

On Wednesday, Siddaramaiah along with his cabinet ministers and party leaders from the state participated in a meeting with the Central leadership to discuss the party's strategy for the next Lok Sabha elections.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi, and senior leader Surjewala, were among those present.

Claiming that all is not well in Karnataka Congress, and there are charges made by ruling party MLAs about corruption, Bommai alleged that "when the very meeting was being held in Delhi, the cancellation of police officers transfers or withholding them shows, that Siddaramaiah has lost control over the administration." Bommai was referring to Karnataka government's decision to keep transfer of police inspectors in abeyance until further orders, a day after it transferred 211 police inspectors across the state. According to reports, the decision to put transfers on hold was taken after some party leaders and legislators expressed displeasure.

The Congress high command asking the Chief Minister and his cabinet colleagues to come to Delhi within two months of forming the government shows that Siddaramiah 2.0 is not like Siddaramiah 1.0, and "Siddaramiah 2.0 is a weak leader, when compared to Siddaramiah 1.0, he said." "He has become weak, he is unable to decide and as we can see the CLP meeting related developments, it looks like he has lost the grip on the MLAs, therefore the high command has intervened," he added.

Alleging that from day one the government and ministers have indulged in all kinds of corrupt practices, especially in transfers, with officials too lobbying for plum posts, Bommai said, "transfer corruption and payment for posts" have increased so much that even on Wednesday's meeting in Delhi, this was discussed.

"While it was being discussed in Delhi, here in Bengaluru transfers were stopped through wireless. This shows that there is rampant corruption, favouritism, nepotism and all is not well in the Congress party," he said.

Pointing out that Rs 13,000 crore has been diverted from Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan and Tribal Sub-Plan (SCSP-TSP) funds, which is reserved for SC/STs, to implement Congress' five poll guarantees, Bommai said as per law they cannot do it.

"Out of Rs 34,000 crore budget, Rs 13,000 crore has been diverted, so only about 20,000 crore is left for development of SC/STs, this is a great injustice. This is an anti SC/ST and anti Dalit government. Yesterday, the government made some Rs 125 crore payment to KSRTC, in that also almost 30 per cent is SCSP-TSP fund," he said.

Bommai, who has also presented the state budget in the past, said the state's finances will be in dire straits under this government and the finance department has also expressed it while approving five guarantees stating "we will be unable to fund them (guarantees)." "There will be no money for development and even the mandatory salaries, pension will come under strain. So, Karnataka will be in retrograde state under this government," he added.