‘Siddaramaiah turning into tax-imposing Ramayya’: R Ashok slams Karnataka govt ahead of budget

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Bengaluru : Leader of Opposition R. Ashok on Friday launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah ahead of the state budget, alleging that the government is preparing to burden people with more taxes while increasing the state’s debt.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Ashok claimed that the state government is planning to borrow around ₹1.15 lakh crore while presenting the budget. He alleged that the Congress government has already imposed multiple taxes on the public and is likely to continue the trend.

“Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has become ‘tax-imposing Ramayya’. While Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reduced tax burdens in the Union Budget, the Karnataka government is imposing new taxes almost every month,” Ashok said.

According to the BJP leader, the state government has already imposed nearly 36 different taxes on citizens. He alleged that the Congress had promised before the elections that welfare guarantees would not burden the public, but the reality has turned out differently.

Ashok further claimed that the total debt of the state could cross ₹8 lakh crore by the end of Siddaramaiah’s tenure if the current borrowing trend continues. “The government is presenting figures in a way that makes it appear as though financial discipline is being maintained by adjusting comparisons with the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP). In reality, it is nothing but financial jugglery,” he alleged.

He said a good budget should increase revenue without placing additional burden on citizens. “Running a government purely on loans is not financial expertise. People expected improvement in the state’s financial condition, but the reality is completely different,” he said.

Ashok also compared the present government with the previous BJP administration led by Basavaraj Bommai. He claimed that Bommai had presented a budget without increasing debt even though the government had the capacity to borrow ₹24,400 crore.

The opposition leader also urged the state government to allocate adequate funds for the development of backward taluks. Referring to the findings of the Nanjundappa Committee Report and the Govind Rao Committee Report, he said the number of backward taluks has increased and the government should earmark at least ₹15,000 crore annually for their development.

Ashok further alleged that internal political tensions within the Congress government could influence the budget. Referring to recent remarks by MLA Iqbal Hussain supporting Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar, he said the ruling party is facing leadership conflicts.

He also targeted the functioning of the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC), alleging large-scale irregularities in recruitment processes. Ashok demanded reforms in the commission and suggested creating a system on the lines of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

The BJP leader said he would raise issues such as law and order, protests and recruitment irregularities during the ongoing Assembly session.