Siddaramaiah’s Delhi protest over ’injustice’ to Karnataka, BJP launches counter

mangaloretoday.com

New Delhi, Feb 07, 2024: The BJP staged protests against Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka at various places, including Delhi and Bengaluru, as a counter to the grand old party’s protest against the Centre over what it called "improper" allocation of funds to the state.

 

Raising slogans against Siddaramaiah and his government, the BJP leaders alleged that the Congress was misusing central funds and involved in corruption.

In Delhi, BJP MPs from Karnataka held placards and protested against the Siddaramaiah government in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in the Parliament complex.

"Congress is involved in corruption and is not running the government properly. They have come here (in Delhi) because of internal disputes, DK Shivakumar wanted to become the Chief Minister but could not do so. Due to internal conflict, they have come here against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi as he could not become the Chief Minister," BJP MP Lehar Singh said.

Reacting to the Congress’s protest against the Centre in Jantar Mantar, Union Minister Giriraj Singh claimed the Karnataka government was a "government of liars".

"Karnataka’s Congress government is a government of liars. Rahul Gandhi takes out Bharat Jodo Yatra, while the Congress is doing Bharat Todo Yatra," he told ANI.

In Bengaluru, the BJP held rallies across the city and protested against the Congress government over its stir on allocation of funds to the state.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), BJP Karnataka president B Y Vijayendra slammed the Congress government for resorting to an "unfair campaign" against the Centre under the "false pretence" of pending tax dues.

“Providing false information to divert people’s attention is also another face of treachery & fraud. @BJP4Karnataka has taken this seriously and will soon expose the duplicity of the Congress government along with evidence,” he said.

CONGRESS PROTEST

Several Congress MPs and MLAs from Karnataka held a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar against the Centre over alleged "injustice" to the state in tax devolution and grants-in-aid over the past few years. The protest was led by Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar.

Ahead of the protest, the Congress government issued an advertisement in various newspapers asking people to march to Delhi. The advertisement read, "To protest against the financial atrocities committed by the central government on Kannadigas and Karnataka -- Chalo Delhi."

The state government claimed that not even a penny for drought relief was given to the state though the demand was for Rs 18,177 crore. A special grant of Rs 5,495 crore as recommended by the 15th Finance Commission has been announced.

The government also alleged that there was a disparity in the tax share given by the Centre to the state. It also accused the Centre of cutting grants for collaborative schemes.

"Losses to Karnataka by the central government from 2017-18 was Rs 1.87 lakh crore," the government claimed in its advertisement.

Siddaramaiah said the central government did not fulfill the demands of Karnataka on the issue of GST and tax devolution.

"All the ministers and I, the Deputy Chief Minister and all the MLAs and the MLCs, will protest. As far as the GST is concerned, the devolution of taxes is concerned, and other demands of Karnataka have not been met by the government of India," he told PTI.

Shivakumar said the protest was about "our taxes, our rights, our revenue and our rights".

"We are asking for what our children, men and women have given taxes, the proper share will have to be given (by the central government)," he said.

Courtesy: India Today