Haveri: Former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has slammed the 2026-27 state budget presented by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, calling it a mere "game of numbers" and a "zero development" budget from the perspective of the state's progress. Speaking at a press conference in Haveri today, he made serious allegations regarding the state government's fiscal discipline and budget announcements.

CM Misleading on Financial Matters

"The Chief Minister is misleading the public by providing false information regarding finances. He claims to be borrowing within the limits of fiscal discipline. However, in reality, the fiscal deficit limit is exceeding 3%. Figures have been manipulated to hide this," Bommai alleged.

Calculation of Expenses: Where is the Money for Development?

Expressing concern over the deteriorating economic condition of the state, he analyzed the budget figures as follows:

Total Budget Size: ₹4,49,000 Crore

Government's Committed Expenditure: ₹3,40,000 Crore

For Guarantee Schemes: ₹64,000 Crore

"With such high expenditures, it is impossible to provide full funding to departments. For a government that has been increasing taxes throughout the year, these budget figures hold no value," he criticized.

Injustice to Haveri District: No Super-Specialty Hospital!

Speaking on the development of his home district, Bommai said, "The government has not shown even the basic courtesy of providing at least one Super-Specialty Hospital to Haveri district. There is no mention in the budget of the Varada-Bedti project, a key initiative for North Karnataka. Furthermore, no funds have been allocated for the Upper Krishna Project."

No Expectations from the 17th Budget

"Siddaramaiah is an experienced leader who has presented the budget 17 times. I did not expect such a directionless budget from him. What is the point of presenting a deficit budget by incurring more debt? As far as Karnataka is concerned, development is now at a standstill," he thundered.