Siddaramaiah urges Centre to give States equal funds

Bengaluru: In his Independence Day address, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah brought back the issue of delayed fund allocation to states and urged the union government to release fair grants to states for development.

Addressing packed stands on the 78th Independence Day at the Field Marshal Manekshaw Parade Ground in Bengaluru, he noted that the union government had “ignored” Constitutional principles and delayed states their due financial share, thus inconveniencing people.

“History shows that people have never forgiven backdoor politics that disregards people’s mandate. In a democratic system, it is expected that opposition parties function responsibly in tandem with Constitutional principles, by respecting the people’s mandate,” he said, noting that the Lok Sabha elections reflected the electorate’s political acumen ensuring that “democracy cannot be a puppet in anyone’s hands”.

In his 33-minute speech, Siddaramaiah paid his respects to the efforts of freedom fighters in the Independence movement, noting that if citizens failed their dreams of independent India, “we will end up witnessing disturbing developments like the ones happening in our neighbouring countries”.