‘We are asking for our rights’: Karnataka CM, Deputy CM lead protest in Delhi

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and DCM DK Shivakumar led a protest in Delhi's Jantar Mantar against the Central leadership over reduced tax devolution to the state.

Published on: Feb 7, 2024, 12:33:02 IST

By Yamini C S

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar and other senior party leaders on Wednesday held a protest against the Central leadership in Delhi's Jantar Mantar over funds, reduced tax devolution and unfair resource distribution to the state.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar during a protest by the Karnataka state Congress leaders against the centre, at Jantar Mantar, in New Delhi on Feb 7. (PTI)

CM Siddaramaiah arrived at Jantar Mantar along with his deputy Shivakumar and several other leaders including the state Home Minister G Parameshwara, Minister of Large and Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development MB Patil and Laxman Savadi on Wednesday to start off the protest.

ALSO READ | ‘Chalo Delhi’: Why is Karnataka Congress protesting against Centre today?

Speaking in Jantar Mantar, the CM said, “Karnataka is number two as far as tax collection is concerned, Maharashtra is number one. As a matter of fact, this year Karnataka is contributing more than ₹4.30 lakh crores as tax. If we collect ₹100 as tax and give it to the Govt of India, we are only getting ₹12-13 back, that is our share.”

DK Shivakumar, who is also the Chief of the Karnataka Congress, echoed the sentiments, saying, “Karnataka is the second biggest state that is giving highest revenue to this country. We are asking for our rights, we are asking for our share. We have come here to show that we all are fighting here for the people of Karnataka.”

The movement received some support from other factions, with Shiv Sena (UBT faction) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi saying, “Over a period of time, the Centre has used the GST collection as a political tool where states governed by the opposition are usually deprived of the funds or not given in a timely manner. (Karnataka CM) Siddaramaiah is saying that over ₹65,000 crore worth of funds due to Karnataka aren't being given to them.”

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

Reacting to the allegations levelled against the Central government, Union minister and BJP leader Giriraj Singh called the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in the state a “government of liars”. “Karnataka's Congress government is a government of liars. Rahul Gandhi takes out Bharat Jodo Yatra, while, Congress is doing Bharat Todo Yatra,” he told reporters.

Meanwhile, Karnataka BJP leaders including MPs held a protest of their own in in front of the Gandhi statue in the Parliament, alleging that the ruling Congress has “misused” funds allocated to them.

(With agency inputs)

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

Get the latest City News, local updates, weather alerts and breaking stories from Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and other major cities across India on Hindustan Times.