Union Minister Pralhad Joshi strongly criticized the administration led by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, asserting that rather than a purported 40 percent, it is now reportedly taking a 50 percent commission. This allegation follows previous accusations against the former BJP-led government in the state, which faced scrutiny over alleged involvement in a "40 percent commission" scheme concerning public projects, currently under investigation.
Joshi accused Siddaramaiah of engaging in what he termed as "spreading lies" regarding tax devolution, portraying it as a deliberate tactic to deflect attention from his ongoing conflict with Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar.
These comments surfaced shortly after senior Congress leaders, headed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, staged a protest in Delhi, alleging unfair treatment by the central government in tax devolution and the delayed provision of drought relief to the state.
During the demonstration, the Congress delegation urged the Centre to rectify what they perceived as a Rs 1.87 lakh crore loss incurred by Karnataka due to purported discrepancies in tax allocations by the 15th Finance Commission.
Joshi accused the Karnataka government of orchestrating a "misinformation campaign" on tax devolution, condemning the Congress party's approach as "undemocratic" and flagging their alleged disregard for constitutional principles.
Moreover, Joshi highlighted a substantial disparity in the release of National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) funds, noting that the amount disbursed between 2014 and 2024 exceeded four times the allocation made during the UPA government's tenure from 2004 to 2014.
