Bommai Criticizes Siddaramaiah Over GST Remarks and Development Focus

In a sharp critique, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday accused Karnataka's Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of prioritizing attacks on the Centre over crucial development issues within the state. Bommai, himself a former Chief Minister, responded to Siddaramaiah's remarks regarding the central government's Goods and Services Tax (GST) reforms, asserting that these reforms ultimately benefit the people across states.

Bommai claimed that Siddaramaiah has developed a tendency to fault the Centre indiscriminately, despite it having delivered on its obligations. He noted that Siddaramaiah's inclination to challenge the GST compensation through legal avenues is unnecessary and politically motivated. "The nation is aware that these GST reforms involve input from all states, yet Siddaramaiah remains focused on politicizing fund distribution," said Bommai during a conversation with ANI.

Siddaramaiah, however, countered the accusations by emphasizing that the Centre's simplification of GST, in alignment with pre-election strategies in Bihar, would result in Karnataka incurring an annual revenue loss of Rs 15,000 crore. Additionally, he highlighted the perceived neglect in grant allocations totaling Rs 17,000 crore, which includes crucial projects like lake development and infrastructure improvements. Despite the financial setbacks, Siddaramaiah stressed the need for judicial recourse to secure necessary central funding.

(With inputs from agencies.)