Bengaluru, Feb 20 (IANS): Former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said that the Karnataka government is fooling people by not submitting the memorandum in the prescribed format while blaming the Central government only for political purposes over the Upper Bhadra project.

“To seek funds from the Centre, the proposal must be in the proper format,” he said.

He said that the Upper Bhadra project will get the national project status and the previous BJP government had given the required permission.

“Now also the money will come from the Centre but they must go and bring it,” he said.

He said that the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah seems to be flattened over the editorials in newspapers praising the budget.

"You are the Chief Minister of the State and have worked as the Leader of the Opposition in the past as well. But taking the help of the newspaper editorials indicates how helpless you have become,” he said.

He said the Chief Minister only distorts facts to suit his argument.

“It was true that the interim report of the 15th Finance Commission had recommended Rs 5,495 crore but it was not in the final report. How it was not possible to demand when it was not in the final report? In regard to the Rs 6,000 crore peripheral Ring Road scheme, the money was still there but the state government was yet to start the project. Even land acquisition was pending. The funds would be released once the project is started,” he said.