Chief minister to present full-fledged budget

Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa who also holds the finance portfolio will present a full-fledged budget for the year 2009-2010.

There were rumours that the chief minister would go for vote on account and present a budget later. But buoyed by the recent success in the Assembly by-elections Yeddyurappa has decided to go for a full pledged budget wherein several more pro-people projects and schemes could be announced keeping in view the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Yeddyurappa who spoke to reporters here on Sunday before participating in the BJP election committee meeting said he would present the budget in the last week of February. Reacting to Opposition parties’ allegation that the Governor’s speech did not have anything new, he said he would convene a cabinet meeting at Belgaum and take some decisions regarding development of North Karnataka region.

Replying to a question the chief minister ruled out the possibility of forming new districts and taluks in the near future. “It could be considered after Lok Sabha elections” he asserted. Referring to Maharastra’s claim over certain areas in Karnataka adjoining Maharastra border, the chief minister said Mahajan Commission’s report was final in the matter and alleged that Maharastra was unnecessarily raking up the issue.

He said the Central government and the Prime Minister should evince keen interest in solving border disputes. He denied Shiva Sena chief Bal Thackaray’s allegations that Marathi speaking people in Karnataka were harassed by BJP workers and said Balasaheb must have made the remark without ascertaining the facts.

The BJP’s election committee has recommended to the Centre that all the sitting BJP MPs barring those who were expelled or those who left the party should be given tickets to contest the 2009 elections.