Leaders of the Congress party from Karnataka, headed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, convened at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Wednesday to protest against what they perceive as unfair treatment by the Central government regarding tax allocation. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, along with numerous MPs, ministers, and MLAs from Karnataka, participated in the demonstration.
The Congress contends that Karnataka has suffered unjustly in terms of tax allocation and grants-in-aid over recent years. The demonstrators demanded that the Central government rectify the purported losses amounting to Rs 1.87 lakh crore, which they claim Karnataka has incurred under the 15th Finance Commission.
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Siddaramaiah emphasized that the protest was not directed against the BJP but rather against the perceived discrimination faced by Karnataka. He refuted BJP’s allegations that the protest aimed to incite division between North and South India, asserting the Congress’s commitment to national unity while advocating against discriminatory practices towards southern states.
The chief minister highlighted that the tax allocation formula for states, particularly Karnataka, was altered by the 15th Finance Commission, resulting in revenue losses for his state. He called for a return to the previous formula to mitigate Karnataka’s financial losses and stated their intention to submit a representation to the new Finance Commission advocating for the adoption of the formula used by the 14th Finance Commission.
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In a related development, CPI(M) stalwart and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, accompanied by members of his cabinet, is scheduled to stage a similar protest in Delhi on February 8, denouncing what they perceive as the Central government’s neglect of the southern state.
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