Major differences have cropped up between ruling coalition partners Congress and JD(S) in Karnataka over presentation of new Budget. Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, who is running a fragile collation, has announced that he would present a new Budget in the first week of July which is sternly opposed by former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is also the chairman of the coordination committee, said there is no need for new Budget and asked Kumaraswamy to go for a supplementary Budget.
Siddaramaiah said, “In my opinion, there is no need for presenting a full-fledged Budget as it has already been presented and Vote on Account was taken till July-end. If he (Kumaraswamy) wants to announce any new programmes, he can do it through a supplementary budget.”
He said, “Article 205 of the Constitution provides for supplementary budget. As a Finance Minister, if you want to add any new programme, you can do it through supplementary budget and provide funds for such programmes. If a full-fledged budget is presented again, what is the need for having a provision for supplementary budgetIJ”
Kumaraswamy who holds the Finance portfolio after a very hard bargain is preparing to present a new budget and also announced he will waive off the loans of the farmers. Reacting to Siddaramaiah he said he would go ahead with the budget as it is required for new programmes to meet the promises made in the election manifesto.
“Prior to elections, you (Siddaramaiah) stated that you may have to present a new budget even if your own party comes to power. I clearly remember what you had stated,” Kumaraswamy said.Strongly pushing for a new budget, Kumaraswamy said he would meet Congress president Rahul Gandhi to sort out the issue soon.
Reacting to Siddaramaiah’s suggestion, Kumaraswamy said, “let us see what happens. We will decide that in the cabinet meeting. Whenever a new government comes to power, it needs to demonstrate what its goals are. We cannot limit ourselves to presenting supplementary budget because there are many challenges before the government.”
However Deputy Chief Minister and Congress leader G Parameshwara supported a full-fledged budget by Kumaraswamy.
Siddaramaiah presented a full-fledged budget In February for 2018-19, with an outlay of 2.1 lakh crore. Siddaramaiah refused to comment on Kumaraswamy’s statement that his Government was safe for at least one year. “I do not want to comment. Please ask him (HDK). I do not understand or even try to understand (what he said). I do not even want to know the context.”