Karnataka model of governance better than 'hollowed' Gujarat model of development: CM Siddaramaiah

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Gujarat model of development', claiming it is "hollowed" and instead promoting the state's welfare-oriented 'Karnataka model'.

Karnataka Chief Minister on Tuesday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that the 'Gujarat model of development' was ''hollowed'' in the wake of the Morbi incident, while the welfare oriented 'Karnataka model' was better.

Speaking at the 'Steering Karnataka towards development' programme in Tumakuru on the eve of the completion of three years of the Congress government in the state, Siddaramaiah said his government had implemented welfare guarantees worth more than Rs 1.40 lakh crore while also carrying out development works and systemic reforms.

He also inaugurated and laid foundation stones for development works worth over Rs. 682 crore in Tumakuru district.

The Chief Minister attacked the BJP and Modi over inflation, unemployment and alleged communal politics.

He referred to the recent incident in Morbi district in Gujarat where a man who failed to pay a rent of Rs 2,000, allegedly allowed the owner of the house and his aide to repeatedly rape his wife and 13-year-old daughter.

He said Modi was Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and has been Prime Minister since 2014.

Prime Minister and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are major BJP leaders from Gujarat who have represented Gujarat for the past 25 years.

''You should know the condition to which the lives of ordinary people in Gujarat have reached. It causes shivers to realise into whose illiterate and cruel hands we have handed over the reins of this country,'' the Chief Minister said.

''At Morbi in Gujarat in the first week of May this year, a tragedy occurred there before which the country hung its head in shame. A poor labourer's family was living in a small rented house paying Rs. 2,000 rent. That family could not even pay the Rs. 2,000 rent. Because the rent was not paid, the house owner raped the poor labourer's wife and 13-year-old daughter. This is the Gujarat model,'' Siddaramaiah charged.

According to him, 15,946 acres of land has been given to the Adani Group of Companies at the rate of Re 1 to Rs 32 per square metre in a state where people cannot pay Rs 2,000 rent per month.

Speaking about his government's achievement, Siddaramaiah said the objective of his government is the welfare of the people.

The CM said the Congress government had fulfilled promises made before the 2023 Assembly elections and contrasted it with the BJP government that ruled Karnataka from 2019 to 2023.

Targeting the BJP over its politics and governance, Siddaramaiah accused the party of ''spreading hatred and weakening the economy''.

Criticising fuel and cooking gas prices, Siddaramaiah said commercial LPG prices had sharply increased in recent months and alleged that the Centre's policies had worsened inflation. ''Because of Modi, petrol-diesel and gas prices have touched the sky,'' he said.

He also accused the BJP and RSS of ''spreading divisive politics'' and targeted the BJP-JD(S) alliance, stating that the two political parties are ''opportunistic group''.

Defending the Congress government's welfare programmes, Siddaramaiah said the state had spent Rs 1,40,233 crore on the five guarantee schemes since 2023, including Rs 75,164 crore on Gruha Lakshmi, Rs. 30,080 crore on Gruha Jyothi, Rs 19,974 crore on Anna Bhagya, Rs 14,015 crore on Shakti and Rs 1,001 crore on Yuva Nidhi.

''There is no corruption in these schemes. There are no middlemen. We are delivering directly to the people,'' he said.

The Chief Minister said the government had also spent nearly Rs 1 lakh crore over three years on farmer subsidies, drought relief, flood relief, crop compensation and allied sectors.

He added that social pension schemes for widows, senior citizens, persons with disabilities and other beneficiaries accounted for annual spending of Rs 11,000 crore to Rs 12,000 crore.