BENGALURU: A day after Rural Development and Panchayat Raj minister Krishna Byregowda expressed disappointment over the lack of representation for southern states in the 15th Finance Commission, the Congress seems keen on making it a trump card.
Given the strong regional ‘land and language’ sentiment from Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, the Congress unit in Karnataka has seized the opportunity to counter the BJP and gather the support of neighbouring states with a single stroke of ‘South India humiliated’.
“South India humiliated by @BJP4India govt By not having any representation from the south in the 15th Finance commission headed by @NKSingh_MP. @narendramodi has deceived the southern states which are better performing &growth engines @INCKarnataka demands to end this disparity (sic)” Karnataka Congress handle tweeted on Friday.
It may be recalled that in 2018, Kerala had hosted a meeting of representatives of southern states to oppose the terms of reference issued for the 15th Finance Commission.
The Congress, that is still reeling from the aftermath of the Lok Sabha poll results, is looking to begin rebuilding its foundations from the South.
The Karnataka unit’s stance on Friday only propelled the idea further.
“Karnataka betrayed by @BJP4India govt. Huge Disparity in fund allotment by 15th Finance commission. While Karnataka got Rs 1,527 cr under SDRF for the period of 2015-20, Maharashtra got Rs 8,195 cr. Is this the @narendramodi‘s definition of sabka saath sabka vikas? (sic)” the official twitter handle of Karnataka Congress posted in another tweet, unabatedly accusing the Narendra Modi-led BJP government of discriminating against Karnataka and playing up the regional sentiment card.
“In a federal structure, unless you speak up, nobody is in a mood to listen to you. Some may try to brand this as divisive tactics, but they are only doing a disservice to the nation by painting a legitimate demand with a divisive colour,” said Krishna Byregowda.