Karnataka's Budget Battle: Siddaramaiah vs. BJP

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah defends his budget against BJP criticism of rising borrowings, arguing fiscal discipline and a future revenue surplus. He points to increased central government borrowings, while BJP questions the state's financial priorities and calls the budget short-sighted and politically driven.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah fervently defended the 2025-26 budget amid strong criticism from the opposition BJP over increasing borrowings and fiscal priorities. Siddaramaiah assured a future revenue surplus, emphasizing fiscal discipline in response to allegations of mismanagement.

The BJP condemned the budget as short-sighted and politically motivated, pointing out the rising state borrowings under Siddaramaiah's government. Comparatively, the Chief Minister highlighted the higher borrowings at the central government level under Narendra Modi since 2014-15, calling for consistency in criticism.

Amid heated exchanges, BJP Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka urged Siddaramaiah to focus on state issues rather than comparing with the Union budget, while asserting a lack of development focus and increasing debt burden under the current governance.