CM Siddaramaiah invites Sitharaman, Pralhad Joshi, other leaders elected from Karnataka to join 'Chalo Delhi' protest

Karnataka CM invited FM Sitharaman, Pralhad Joshi and several other leaders elected from Karnataka to join the ‘Chalo Delhi’ protest today.

Published on: Feb 7, 2024, 09:30:19 IST

By Yamini C S

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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday invited several senior leaders elected from Karnataka including Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Pralhad Joshi to join the Congress party's ‘Chalo Delhi’ protest in Delhi's Jantar Mantar today against the Centre over reduced tax devolution to the state.

While BJP MP Tejasvi Surya declined the invitation, FM Sitharaman and Pralhad Joshi also reacted to the issue, denying allegations of a reduction in tax devolution to the state. (ANI)

The CM posted a letter, dated Monday, on social media, which invited Sitharaman to the protest set to be held today.

READ | CM Siddaramaiah, DCM DK Shivakumar arrive in Delhi, gear up to protest against Centre over tax devolution

Taking to micro-blogging site ‘X’, formerly Twitter, he tagged Sitharaman, Congress National President and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, former PM and JD(S) supremo Deve Gowda, Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi, Rajeev Chandrasekhar and Shobha Karandlaje and former Karnataka CM Sadananda Gowda, inviting them to participate in the protest.

“I have written a letter to all the dignitaries representing the state in Delhi, inviting them to participate in ‘Chalo Delhi’ protest to be held tomorrow. It is not a fight against any party, it is a fight against injustice, discrimination in tax share and grant allocation by the central government in the union system. For the future of Karnataka, for the peaceful life of the Kannadigas, tomorrow morning we have started a dharani satyagraha at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. It is the duty of all of us to convey the injustice being done to the Kannadigas to the Delhi government and ask for justice. I believe that all of you will forget your partisanship and join our voice for the benefit of Karnataka,” he wrote in the post.

READ | ‘Siddaramaiah raking up North-South divide is a typical characteristic of Cong leaders’: Amit Malviya

The CM in a separate post also invited all leaders of the Karnataka BJP to the protest. In response to this, Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya said he will not attend the protest but that he will hold a press conference in Delhi to “expose” the Congress government in Karnataka.

"I politely decline Karnataka CM Sri Siddaramaiah's invitation to attend tomorrow's faux protest. I will, however, address a press conference at New Delhi, to expose the devious, divisive & false propaganda of the CM & Congress with respect to tax devolution to Karnataka," Surya wrote in an ‘X’ post.

What FM Sithraman, Pralhad Joshi said

FM Nirmala Sitharaman strongly denied the allegations of a decline in Central grants, saying it is a "politically-vitiated narrative" that "vested interests" are happy to go about saying.

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi also called the allegations "unfounded," and said CM Siddaramaiah is playing “dirty politics”, and that his remarks hold no solid grounds.

"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," Joshi clapped back on ‘X’.

(With inputs from ANI)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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