Bengaluru: Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi responded to accusations made by the ruling Congress government in Karnataka, regarding “injustice” in tax devolution and grants from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led Central Government. He provided details of the contributions made by the Central Government to Karnataka under Prime Minister Narendra Modi from 2014 to the present. Joshi stated that Karnataka received more in tax devolution and grant in aid from Modi’s government compared to the Congress party’s United Progressive Alliance regime from 2004 to 2014.
Joshi revealed that Karnataka received Rs 60,000 crore in grant in aid from the UPA government, while under Modi’s rule, the amount increased to Rs 2.36,000 crore, marking a 243 percent increase. Additionally, tax devolution to the state was Rs 81,000 crore from 2004 to 2014, which increased to about 2.85 lakh crore under Modi’s administration. Joshi mentioned that the state could expect another Rs 18,000 crore in the future.
The Union Minister also stated that there are no pending Goods and Services Tax relief payments for Karnataka. Regarding the release of funds from the National Disaster Relief Fund, Joshi noted that Karnataka received Rs 3,655 crore from the UPA government and Rs 12,542 crore from Modi’s government, which is three times more than the previous regime.
Joshi condemned Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, accusing him of being a “liar” and unable to fulfill promises made to the people of the State. He alleged that Siddaramaiah is attempting to divert attention from his own failures and infighting with Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, in an effort to gain more seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Joshi concluded by predicting that the people of the State would teach the Congress party a lesson in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and called for an explanation from the Chief Minister in response to allegations of “corruption” made by the president of the Karnataka State Contractors Association, Kempanna, against the Congress government in Karnataka.