“40 per cent commission drained Karnataka”: CM Siddaramaiah slams PM Modi, BJP

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to examine BJP’s “disastrous” track record in Karnataka before targeting the Congress.

In a post on X, Siddaramaiah wrote, “Mr @narendramodi, before pointing fingers at the Congress, take a hard look at @BJP4Karnataka’s disastrous legacy in Karnataka! We are fulfilling every promise we made to our people all 5 guarantees implemented with a budget over Rs 52,000 crore, and an additional Rs 52,903 crore in capital outlay to build Karnataka’s future.”

He alleged that BJP’s 40 per cent commission corruption had drained Karnataka’s resources, which could have transformed lives. He emphasised that his government is redirecting those funds to benefit the people. The Chief Minister also criticised Modi’s governance, pointing out that India’s debt is projected to reach Rs 185.27 trillion by FY25, accounting for 56.8 per cent of GDP.

“We’re using that same 40 per cent and redirecting it to benefit the people. What was your ‘achievement’ here? Empowering corrupt practices, leaving Karnataka debt-ridden, and using propaganda to cover up your failures?” Siddaramaiah questioned.

Additionally, he noted that Karnataka contributes significantly to the central government’s revenue but receives only 13 paise for every rupee, describing this as “outright exploitation” rather than cooperative federalism.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge cautioned Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar to ensure promises align with the state budget.

“Don’t go for 5, 6, 10 or 20 guarantees. Give guarantees according to your state budget,” Kharge said.

PM Modi seized on Kharge’s comments, saying the Congress is realising that making unrealistic promises is easy, but implementing them is challenging.