The Congress party has launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of seeking "revenge" against the people of Karnataka following their resolute rejection of him in the 2023 assembly elections.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh asserted, "Ever since Mr. Modi was decisively rejected by the people of Karnataka in the 2023 assembly elections, he has been hell-bent on taking his revenge."
Ramesh highlighted a series of alleged retaliatory measures by the Modi government against Karnataka. He claimed that Modi initially attempted to undermine the Anna Bhagya food security scheme, but the Congress-led state government remained steadfast and introduced a direct cash transfer scheme for its 4.49 crore beneficiaries.
"Secondly, he curtailed financial allocations to Karnataka. Between April 2023 — when he suffered defeat — and January 2024, total central transfers to Karnataka decreased by 23 per cent. Central grants plummeted by 56 per cent," Ramesh alleged.
The Congress leader further accused the Centre of delaying the disbursement of rightful drought relief funds to farmers in the state. "223 out of 236 talukas in Karnataka are grappling with drought conditions, with 196 taluks severely affected. As early as September 2023, the Karnataka government appealed to the Modi administration to release Rs 18,172 crore for drought relief. However, it was postponed for months," Ramesh asserted.
The culmination of this confrontation came when the Karnataka government, feeling compelled to take action, brought the matter before the Supreme Court, demanding the release of overdue drought relief funds. Consequently, the Union finance ministry consented to allocate over Rs 3,498 crore to support Karnataka's farmers, Ramesh disclosed.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expressed dissatisfaction with the central government's response, stating that although they had approved Rs 3,499 crore as drought relief, only Rs 3,454 crore had been disbursed. He urged the prime minister to expedite the release of the remaining funds.
The chief minister also extended gratitude to the Supreme Court for intervening in the matter and providing some degree of drought relief to the beleaguered state.