Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah Joined By Tamil Nadu, Kerala In 'Chalo Delhi' Protest Against PM Modi Govt | 10 Things To Know
Date
2/7/2024 11:00:27 PM
(MENAFN- Live Mint) "Kerala, Tamil Nadu have joined protesting Chief Minister from Karnataka Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar in Delhi against Prime Minister Narendra Modi government's alleged discrimination in the federal funds allocated to these southern states.
-Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who was invited by CM Siddramaih to join the protest against Centre, lashed out at the congress government in Karnataka,
-Sitharaman accusing Karnataka's Congress government of harbouring a \"separatist\" mindset and spreading a \"false narrative\" on the issue of fund allocation by the Centre to states.-Sitharaman, who is a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, gave out figures of the funds allocated to the state from the Centre to reject the charges. She claimed that the Siddaramaiah government is feeling the heat due to the financial burden of nearly ₹58,000 crore for the implementation of his party's poll promises.-Karnataka government was the first to take the streets in national capital Delhi as top leaders of the state, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar, gathered at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. They claim the BJP-ruled government at the Centre is withholding funds and has purposefully reduced the state's share of tax revenue.-Shivakumar said Karnataka ranks second in Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection and is the biggest contributor to the country's revenue.-As the leaders upped the ante with their 'Chalo Delhi' protest in Jantar Mantar just weeks ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing counterattack on the Congress and urged the Karnataka government to stop creating new narratives to divide the country as it jeopardises India's future.-Meanwhile, BJP launched a protest of its own - in Bengaluru - to highlight the \"failures\" of the Congress government in Karnataka. BJP legislators and leaders led by the party state president BY Vijayendra staged a sit-in demonstration in front of Mahatma Gandhi's statue near Vidhana Soudha yesterday, which houses the State Legislature and Secretariat of Karnataka.-MPs from Tamil Nadu and Kerala will also stage protests in Delhi today. Through their demonstrations, the state governments aim to highlight the \"injustice\" in tax devolution and grants-in-aid they have been subjected to over the past few years.-Tamil Nadu MPs of the ruling DMK and its alliance partners will protest near the Mahatma Gandhi statue in the Parliament complex today.-Kerala Chief Minister Pinaryai Vijayan and members of his Left Front government are scheduled to hold a protest at Jantar Mantar today.-The centre vs states row over funds allocation to states has heated up since Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Interim Budget on February 1. The ongoing session of Parliament has witnessed several arguments between the Centre and the Opposition over the issue. The funds allocation issue also saw Sitharaman and the Congress' Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury squabbling in Parliament.
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