Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India]: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (Secular) [JD(S)] staged a protest at the Vidhana Soudha on Tuesday, accusing the Congress government of misusing Karnataka’s tax revenue.
The protest centered on allegations that the government was diverting public funds — intended for welfare schemes — to pay Congress party workers under the guise of Guarantee Implementation Committees.
BJP’s Accusations
BJP leader CT Ravi criticized the state government, stating:
“This is the public’s money. The Culture Minister says there’s no money to promote Kannada, and the Cooperative Minister says there’s no money to appoint farmers. Is the money only for Congress Party workers?”
Leader of the Opposition, R Ashoka, accused the Congress government of allocating ₹187 crore to party workers instead of investing in public welfare.
Congress’ Response
Defending the government’s actions, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar justified the move, stating that rewarding party workers with committee positions was fair.
“There is nothing wrong in accommodating the party workers who brought us to power. These committees are set up to ensure the delivery of the ₹52,000 crore guarantee schemes to the people. The Opposition is unable to digest this,” Shivakumar said.
He added that the Congress government had kept its promise of launching guarantee schemes despite opposition.
“The BJP said we wouldn’t be able to implement the schemes, but we approved them within five days of coming to power. We are committed to allocating 20% of the state’s budget for these schemes to ease the pain of price rise and inflation,” he added.
Political Tensions Rise
When BJP MLA Sunil Kumar mentioned that the BJP never opposed the schemes, Shivakumar responded:
“Everyone from the Prime Minister to BJP MLAs criticized the guarantee schemes. Despite this, we went ahead and implemented them.”
Shivakumar also claimed that BJP governments in Delhi, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh are now replicating Karnataka’s model.
In response to R Ashoka’s remarks calling payouts to Congress workers a ‘manehalu’ (destroyer of homes), Shivakumar countered:
“While they claim we’re destroying homes, we are actually helping to build homes and families.”
The controversy reflects the escalating political tensions in Karnataka ahead of the upcoming political season.