BENGALURU: The budget presented by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has triggered a sharp political confrontation in Karnataka, with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party accusing the Congress government of pushing the state towards financial bankruptcy. BJP legislators and leaders staged a protest in front of the Grand Steps of Vidhana Soudha, condemning what they described as an “empty and anti-people budget”.
ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಜನತೆಗೆ ಖಾಲಿ ಚೊಂಬು ಕೊಟ್ಟ ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಸರ್ಕಾರಕ್ಕೆ ಧಿಕ್ಕಾರ… ಧಿಕ್ಕಾರ !
ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಜನತೆಯನ್ನು ಸಾಲದ ಸುಳಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸಿಲುಕಿಸುವಂತಹ ಬಜೆಟ್ ಮಂಡಿಸಿದ ಸಿಎಂ ಸಿದ್ದರಾಮಯ್ಯ ನೇತೃತ್ವದ ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ವಿರುದ್ಧ ಇಂದು ರಾಜ್ಯಾಧ್ಯಕ್ಷರಾದ ಶ್ರೀ @BYVijayendra ಮತ್ತು ಪ್ರತಿಪಕ್ಷ ನಾಯಕರಾದ ಶ್ರೀ @RAshokaBJP ಅವರ… pic.twitter.com/YnpbsOedyv
— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) March 6, 2026
Soon after the budget speech concluded in the Assembly, BJP MLAs marched from the eastern gate to the western gate of Vidhana Soudha carrying empty bowls. The symbolic protest was meant to highlight what the opposition termed the “bankrupt financial condition” of the Congress government and its inability to deliver meaningful development.
Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka launched a scathing attack on the state government, alleging that the budget lacked both fiscal discipline and developmental vision. According to him, the state treasury was under severe strain due to the government’s reckless spending and excessive borrowing.
Ashoka claimed that many of the schemes and allocations announced in the previous budget had not been implemented due to a lack of funds. He alleged that the Congress government was running the administration primarily through loans and warned that Karnataka was being pushed into a dangerous debt trap.
“Even a small vegetable vendor borrows cautiously and repays responsibly. But this government is borrowing thousands of crores without a clear plan to repay. This clearly shows the financial bankruptcy of the administration,” Ashoka said while addressing the protest.
He further alleged that the government was now trying to recover its financial losses by imposing additional taxes and indirect levies on ordinary citizens. According to him, the rising tax burden was proof that the state’s finances were in deep trouble.
“The government is squeezing money from the people because the treasury is empty. When a government increases taxes while claiming to provide welfare, it only shows that its finances have collapsed,” he said.
Ashoka also criticised the budget for inadequate allocations to key sectors such as irrigation, infrastructure and rural development. He accused the government of ignoring development priorities and focusing mainly on populist schemes aimed at consolidating vote banks.
The BJP leader further alleged that the budget had disappointed even some members of the ruling party and warned that regional imbalance could worsen due to inadequate allocations to North Karnataka.
The opposition also raised concerns about the protection of funds earmarked for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Ashoka claimed the government had failed to clearly guarantee that SC-ST allocations would remain protected and not diverted for other purposes.
Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, also accused the government of presenting misleading financial data in the budget. According to him, revenue collection had slowed down significantly, and the government was attempting to hide the situation through accounting adjustments.
Narayanaswamy claimed that tax collection had fallen by around seven per cent compared to projections and warned that unrealistic revenue estimates could further destabilise the state’s finances.
He also pointed out that the government had paid nearly Rs 45,600 crore as interest on loans, describing it as a clear indication of poor financial management and uncontrolled borrowing.
“The state is spending massive amounts just to pay interest on loans. When interest payments rise so drastically, it means the government has lost control over fiscal management,” he said.
Meanwhile, state BJP president BY Vijayendra accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of misleading the public by describing the budget as historic. He said the budget lacked long-term economic vision and failed to provide any clear roadmap for job creation, industrial growth or infrastructure development.
Vijayendra alleged that instead of strengthening the state’s economy, the government had adopted a strategy of increasing taxes while expanding borrowing.
