Backdoor politics won’t work, Siddaramaiah warns Centre; says development not possible without funding support
Siddaramaiah on Thursday urged the Centre to release a fair amount of grants to states for development while accusing it of discrimination in the allocation of funds.
By ignoring constitutional principles, there is a tendency to delay the financial share due to the states, he said, adding that this attitude was compelling the states to seek legal recourse to get their rightful share from the Centre.
Teams of ministers from Karnataka and Kerala, led by chief ministers Siddaramaiah and Pinarayi Vijayan had staged a protest demonstration in Delhi in February alleging discrimination in allocation of funds to the Opposition-ruled states by the NDA government. Kerala even moved the apex court to assert its rights.
The Constitution, Siddaramaiah said, has clearly outlined the relationship between the Centre and the States within our federal system. While the states are responsible for implementing welfare programs, it is the Centre's duty to support these efforts with funds, but the Centre, of late, has been deviating from this principle.
BACKDOOR POLITICS
Siddaramaiah warned the BJP, without taking its name, that people have never forgiven backdoor politics that disregard the people’s mandate. “In a democratic system, it is expected that opposition parties function responsibly in tandem with the principles of the Constitution, by respecting the mandate given by the people of the state. The electorate, with their political acumen, has made it clear in the last Lok Sabha elections that democracy cannot be a puppet in
