Congress is engaged in looting the state, says BJP's Sunil Kumar as K'taka govt hikes fuel tax

Mangaluru: The Congress government in Karnataka is engaged in looting the state in the name of 'Guarantee' schemes, alleged BJP state general secretary and Karkala MLA V Sunil Kumar.

He said "Chief minister Siddaramaiah has started the process of filling the empty exchequer of the state by signing an order to hike the cess on petrol by Rs 3 per litre. “Even after levying additional taxes through all possible revenue sources, the state exchequer is collapsing day by day. There is a huge deficit of Rs 13,000 crore in the revenue collection in the state,” said Kumar.

"In the past, Congress had staged a protest against the centre for hiking the fuel price. Now the government has increased the cess on petrol even before the budget,” Kumar said criticising the state government.

He also flayed the Congress government for hiking the fee for medical and other professional courses in the state. “It has become necessary to launch a statewide protest against hike in cess on petrol," he said and added: "If the situation continues like this, the Congress government may impose tax for breathing in future,” he added.

'Will raise it in assembly'

Coming down heavily on the stabbing incident during Vijayotsava at Boliyar, Sunil Kumar said "the BJP will discuss the issue in the assembly."

He urged the government to ensure that such incidents do not recur in the state. "The state government has not taken the stabbing incident seriously. After the Siddaramaiah-led government came to power, anti-social elements have woken up and the government is only supporting them. There is no protection for Hindu and BJP workers in the state."

It is shameful that none of the government representatives have visited those injured in the stabbing incident, he added.

Sunil Kumar had visited the stab injured who are undergoing treatment at a hospital in Deralakatte.