Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah to meet PM on June 29 during 3-day visit to national capital

BENGALURU: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday said he will be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on June 29 during his three-day visit to the national capital to discuss with Union Ministers state projects pending approval from the Centre.

"I will be meeting the Road Transport Minister (Nitin Gadkari), also Prime Minister and the Home Minister (Amit Shah). Will also try to meet the Finance Minister (Nirmala Sitharaman). The Home Minister has still not given the time and he might give today. Will also try to meet Railway Minister (Ashwini Vaishnaw) and Jal Shakti Minister (C R Paatil)," he told reporters here.

He said the Prime Minister has given an appointment on June 29.

The Chief Minister, who is leaving for the national capital today, has convened a meeting of MPs and Union Ministers elected from the state in the national capital this evening to discuss projects related to Karnataka pending Centre's nod.

"We will share the list of projects pending at the central government level and ask them to make efforts in favour of the state government aimed at getting approval for projects and getting funds from the Centre and to help in mobilising resources for the state," Siddaramaiah said.

He said several concerned Ministers from the state government will also be coming to Delhi to explain about the projects.

To a question about the expectations of Karnataka from the first budget to be presented by the new government at the Centre, the Chief Minister said the state government has already shared its thoughts with the Centre through Minister Krishna Byre Gowda. "Gowda had attended the meeting, as I could not. He presented my speech at the meeting."

Responding to a question on Rahul Gandhi becoming the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence that he will effectively work as the "voice of the people."

"Rahul Gandhi has travelled across the country and has done 'padayatre' (march) twice, and he knows the issues faced by the country," he said.

Regarding Nobel laureate Amartya Sen's statement that the recent Lok Sabha poll results point to the fact that India is not a ‘Hindu Rashtra’, the Chief Minister said: "We have been saying this since the beginning, this is the country of pluralism, it belongs to everyone. It cannot be the country of Hindus alone. It is not possible for it to become Hindu Rashtra."

Noting that people of different castes, religion and language coexist here, he said: "this country has the culture of pluralism. It belongs to everyone. What Amartya Sen has said is right. We have been propagating this since the beginning."