Assembly passes supplementary estimates for Rs 6,900 cr amid

: The Supplementary Estimates for over Rs 6,900 crore was passed by the Karnataka legislative assembly Tuesday amid the opposition BJP's walkout protesting against it.

The opposition party termed theadditional financial demand as "unscientific" and "without any specific plan".

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, listing out additional grants for various departments said the state government was not violating the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

Several BJP members, including J C Madhuswami, askedto whom the additional grant of Rs 1,997 crore in the Public Works Department had been allotted.

Charging that the allocations were being done to certain select constituencies of the ruling party MLAs, he said "for the state to develop, all constituencies have to develop.

Priority has to be given to need based programmes, he said and demanded to know on what basis was the allocation made and what were the parameters followed.

Defending the supplementary estimate, Kumaraswamy, who also holds the Finance portfolio, said a large part of the additional grants sought were for "pro-people" schemes.

He said Rs 2,500 crore had been allotted to the Co-operation Department as part of the crop loan waiver for farmers, while the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj department had been provided Rs 510 crore for drinking water projects and rural road works, as sought by newly elected legislators.

Not satisfied with the government's reply, BJP members staged a walkout, following which the Supplementary Estimates and the consequential appropriation bill was passed.