Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman dismissed allegations from Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury regarding withholding funds to Karnataka, labelling it a “politically motivated narrative.” During the Parliament Budget Session, responding to Chowdhury’s query about funds deprivation to non-BJP-governed states, Sitharaman refuted discrimination claims, “This notion of certain states facing discrimination is a politically biased narrative.”
Addressing the Lok Sabha during the Question Hour, Chowdhury questioned Sitharaman about the Centre’s perceived biased treatment towards Karnataka, referring to it as “indiscriminate and arbitrary.” He inquired whether the state had been denied its rightful share, mainly since issues arose after a new government took office.
The Congress-led Karnataka government accused the BJP-led Centre of unfairly treating the state concerning fund disbursement, particularly regarding delayed drought relief for farmers. In December 2023, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced the state’s decision to compensate farmers for crop losses, citing the Centre’s delay in releasing funds. Despite efforts by Karnataka’s Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda to address the matter with Sitharaman, the Centre allegedly remained unresponsive.
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Sitharaman countered Siddaramaiah’s accusations, asserting that no pending issues existed between the Centre and Karnataka. She cautioned against blaming the Centre if a state’s budget became unsustainable due to sudden expenditures.
The exchange between Sitharaman and Chowdhury exemplifies the ongoing political discord over fund allocation and distribution between the Centre and non-BJP-governed states like Karnataka. While the Congress accuses the Centre of bias and neglect, the BJP-led government maintains its stance of fairness and non-discrimination.
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