Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, along with Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, arrived at the Delhi airport on Sunday for the 'Chalo Delhi' protest against the alleged "injustice" to the state in tax devolution and grants-in-aid over the past few years.
The protest will begin at 11 am on Wednesday at Jantar Mantar in the national capital. It will see the participation of all Congress legislators and MPs from the state, including Ministers, attend it. The chief minister has also invited Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman (Rajya Sabha member) and Pralhad Joshi to the protest, citing that the struggle was against the "injustice" caused to the state, and not against the saffron party.
The protestors demand that the Centre set right the losses allegedly incurred by Karnataka to the tune of Rs 1.87 lakh crore, during five years under the 15th finance commission.
"Let us raise our voice against the economic oppression of Karnataka by the central government. Let's protest for our right by participating in large numbers in Dharni Satyagraha tomorrow at Jantar Mantar, Delhi," Siddaramaiah posted on X.
Siddaramaiah had said the protest was aimed at attracting the attention of the central government and the people of the country towards the state's concerns. "So far the state had never staged a protest in Delhi, but due to "unavoidable reasons", a situation has come now, for it to do so," he said.
According to the Congress, the agitation is also aimed at countering the BJP by raising the issue of regional pride and "injustice" to the state by the party-led NDA government. The party also accused the centre of "stepmotherly" treatment of Karnataka and "disrespecting" the federal structure.
Siddaramaiah's 'Chalo Delhi' protest comes amid the ruling Congress's proposal that he form a forum of southern states to ensure equitable distribution of resources from the Centre, including devolution of taxes from the divisible pool.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi rejected Siddaramaiah's charges of reduced tax devolution share by Centre.
In a post on X, Pralhad Joshi on Tuesday said, "Karnataka CM's accusations lack any solid grounds. They are so unfounded that their own party must be laughing at the sheer ignorance in CM's hollow allegations, after CM Siddaramaiah has presented 13 state budgets in the past, and is expected to understand how public finances work. Nevertheless, let me remind him: States receive 100 per cent of their SGST, and approx. 50 per cent of the IGST collected within the state."
Pralhad Joshi informed that the 15th Finance Commission did not recommend a Special Grant to be made to any State. "Thus, the question of not accepting the recommendation does not arise. Since FY 2020-21, Rs 6279.94 crore has been provided as 50-year interest-free loans to assist capital expenditure plans to Karnataka Grants in Aid to Karnataka have increased substantially compared to the 10 years of UPA. Rs 2.08 lakh crore has already been released in the 9 years of NDA, which is an increase of 243 per cent over the grants of UPA," Pralhad Joshi said.
"And I am confident that Karnataka CM understands all this but he is still playing dirty politics in the State. The Congress party should be attending needs of farmers & people of the state, but since they have made unsustainable promises in the State elections, they are now trying to shift blame on the Central Govt," he added.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman have come down heavily on allegations that the Centre is withholding funds meant for non-BJP governed states including Karnataka, saying it is a "politically-vitiated narrative" that "vested interests" are happy to go about saying so.
"This apprehension that some states are being discriminated against is a politically-vitiated narrative which, I am sorry to say, vested interests are happy to go about saying," she said on Monday, adding that no Union finance minister can play with the Finance Commission's recommendations.