Mangaluru: Siddaramaiah govt has pushed Karnataka into debt, alleges Capt Brijesh Chowta

Mangaluru: Siddaramaiah govt has pushed Karnataka into debt, alleges Capt Brijesh Chowta

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, May 21, 2026: BJP MP Brijesh Chowta has alleged that the biggest achievement of the three-year-old government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is turning Karnataka, once considered one of the country’s most progressive states, into a debt-ridden state.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP district office in Mangaluru on Wednesday, Chowta said Karnataka was known for financial discipline during the previous BJP government led by Basavaraj Bommai. However, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report itself now points to the state facing financial distress, he said, questioning the state government’s “Sadhana Samavesha” celebrations.

He alleged that the government had failed to maintain financial discipline and had pushed people into a debt trap. Chowta also accused the state government of negligence in implementing central government schemes.

Under the PM Awas Yojana, he said, 6.38 lakh houses had been sanctioned, but 2.5 lakh houses remain incomplete. He further alleged that under the Ksheeradhare scheme, subsidies worth Rs 800 crore have not been paid to dairy farmers for the past nine months.

Chowta also claimed that a corpus fund of Rs 15,000 crore had been diverted for other purposes, adding that no one in the government has clarified where the money was used. “Despite being in politics for so many years, it is difficult to understand why Siddaramaiah is functioning this way in what could be his final term,” he remarked.

The BJP MP said the situation in Dakshina Kannada district was no different, alleging that even the health department was being run using Rs 25 crore from CSR funds. “Salaries are not being paid and no new recruitment is taking place. Overall, the Congress is using the state like an ATM and pushing people into a debt crisis,” he charged.

Criticising the government’s minority colony funding pattern, Chowta said it was against the principles of Dr B.R. Ambedkar and added that the BJP would launch a public awareness campaign on these issues.

Referring to minister Priyank Kharge during the press conference, Chowta said he does not engage in politics by tweeting about every issue. “The achievements of Priyank Kharge and Mallikarjun Kharge can be judged from the development in their constituencies,” he said.

Responding to a question on the impact of rising petrol and diesel prices on the public, Chowta said the increase was not sudden and that people understand the global factors behind the situation. He said efforts were underway to balance the challenges caused by international developments.

On a question regarding guarantee schemes in BJP-ruled states, Chowta said the BJP was not opposed to welfare schemes. However, he claimed Karnataka’s current crisis was due to poor financial management, adding that despite taking loans, the state had failed to create assets and was now in an unstable financial condition.

BJP leaders Shanti Prasad, Sujith Pratap, Dr Manjula Rao, Sanjay Prabhu, Arun Shet, Rajgopal Rai, Jeevan, Dombayya, Hemath Shet, Kadri Manohar Shetty and Madhav Mave were present at the press conference.