NEW DELHI: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, along with Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, arrived at the Delhi airport late on Tuesday night as the MLAs and MPs of Congress’s Karnataka unit prepare to stage a protest against the central government’s tax devolution policies in the national capital on Wednesday.
Karnataka Congress has named the protest ‘Chalo Delhi.’
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah accused the Centre of indulging in economic oppression of Karnataka and appealed to the people to join the protests in large numbers.
“Let us raise our voice against the economic oppression of Karnataka by the central government. Let’s protest for our rights by participating in large numbers in Satyagraha tomorrow at Jantar Mantar, Delhi,” Chief Minister Siddaramaiah posted on X.
Earlier, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that the planned protest is not against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and that all MLAs should forget party lines and participate.
“The entire government will protest, all MLAs should forget party lines and participate. We all have to fight together for the good of the state. We are in a union system. We have been in cooperation with the central government, but we continue to be treated unfairly by the centre. We didn’t get proper relief even during COVID-19, we didn’t get grants even during heavy rains. Rs 5300 crore was not given for the Bhadra Meldande project. This is not a protest against BJP. Instead, it is a protest against the discriminatory attitude in financial distribution and drought relief,” he said.
Earlier on Monday, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, said there is a general perception across the nation that the non-BJP states are being deprived of their legitimate dues. The latest example, he alleged, is Congress-ruled Karnataka.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, rubbishing the Congress leader’s charges, termed the allegations to be a “politically vitiated narrative” that is being propagated by some vested interest groups.
“Adhir ji, please understand I don’t have the right to change as per my whims and fancies, that I like a state or another state, it is against my party politics. No way, I have no role I would have to it follow rules 100 per cent, and that’s what I have done,” Sitharaman responded, as she explained the procedure of how devolution of taxes to the states is decided upon by the Finance Commission.
Also, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan arrived at the national capital as the LDF led by the Chief Minister will hold a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar against the Central government.
Earlier, Kerala Finance Minister KN Balagopal said that the budget was passed amid a poor financial situation owing to the Union Government’s attitude which affected the state’s finances.
Balagopal accused the Centre of causing financial hardship for Kerala. He asserted that the state wouldn’t remain silent and urged unity to build a “Navakeralam.” (ANI)