When on February 1, the lone Congress Lok Sabha MP from Karnataka, D K Suresh, struck a discordant note in his reaction to the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman – a BJP Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka — he seemed to be articulating the Congress’s line of attack for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.

“Today, we are seeing development funds being given to North Indian states. We are seeing a lot of injustice. If we don’t condemn it, in the coming days we might be forced to demand a separate country due to the imposition on us by Hindi regions,” said the younger brother of Karnataka Congress president and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, in his reaction to Kannada channels.

“The share of tax distribution is unequal and North Indian states are getting more. There is an imposition of Hindi on us. The Governor has also rejected an ordinance for 60% signages in Kannada,” he said, referring to the state government’s recent attempt to erect signages in the local language across the state capital, which was stalled on technical grounds.

A Proud Indian & a proud Kannadiga!

South India and especially Karnataka have faced the brutality of injustice in funds distribution. Even after being the 2nd largest GST-contributing state, the center has been utterly unjust to #Karnataka 1/5#Budget2024

— DK Suresh (@DKSureshINC) February 1, 2024

“From us (Karnataka) more than Rs 4 lakh crore is collected as various taxes. How much are we getting back? If it is not addressed in the 16th Finance Commission, then people of South India have to raise their voices,” Suresh said.

The statements made by the Congress MP are not isolated. And Suresh is the only non-BJP Lok Sabha MP from Karnataka after both the lone JD(S) MP and the lone Independent MP allied with the BJP after the party won the remaining 25 of the state’s 28 Lok Sabha seats in 2019.

Suresh’s remarks, although poorly articulated, seem to be part of the Karnataka Congress’s strategy to take on the BJP juggernaut in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls — in which Hindutva is likely to be the BJP’s key plank with Prime Minister Narendra Modi being the face of its campaign.

ಕೇಂದ್ರ @BJP4India ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಪರಿಹಾರ ನೀಡದೆ ಇದ್ದರೂ ರಾಜ್ಯ ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಕೈಕಟ್ಟಿ ಕೂತಿಲ್ಲ. ಬರಪರಿಹಾರಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಜಿಲ್ಲಾಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳ ಖಾತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ 870 ಕೋಟಿ ರೂಪಾಯಿಗಳಿದೆ. ಬರಪೀಡಿತ 36 ಗ್ರಾಮಗಳಿಗೆ ಟ್ಯಾಂಕರ್ ಮೂಲಕ ಕುಡಿಯುವ ನೀರು ಪೂರೈಸುತಿದ್ದೇವೆ. 21 ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಟ್ಯಾಂಕರ್ ನಲ್ಲಿ ನೀರು ಪೂರೈಸಲು ಟೆಂಡರ್ ಕರೆದಿದ್ದೇವೆ. 158 ಕಡೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ…

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) January 29, 2024

On January 29, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had expressed a similar view on social media, that of the people of Karnataka being under siege in terms of allocation of central finances, and the BJP MPs from the state being mum about it.

“The Union BJP government has been doing injustice to Kannadigas. It is not just with respect to the flood relief — they have done injustice even with respect to devolution of funds, funds for infrastructure and more. Despite this, the 25 BJP Lok Sabha members from the state have remained silent,” the CM wrote in Kannada on his X account.

The sentiments expressed by Siddaramaiah and Suresh have been articulated in different ways over the last six months by Congress leaders, which wants to send the unequivocal message that electing BJP MPs is a “futile exercise” as they are “unwilling” to take on their central leaders even for the sake of the state.

“There are 26 BJP MPs and one BJP-supported MP in Karnataka. I fail to understand what they are doing in support of the distressed farmers and people of the state. How will these MPs face the people in the future,” Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala said recently, accusing the Centre of “step-motherly treatment” for Karnataka.

ರಾಜ್ಯದ @BJP4Karnataka ನಾಯಕರಿಗೆ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ನೆಲದ ಮಣ್ಣು ಮತ್ತು ನೀರಿನ ಋಣ ಇದ್ದರೆ ದೆಹಲಿಗೆ ಹೋಗಿ ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಯಾಕಿಷ್ಟು ನಿಮಗೆ ದ್ವೇಷ? ಎಂದು ಪ್ರಧಾನಿ @narendramodi ಅವರನ್ನು ಕೇಳಬೇಕು. ಪರಿಹಾರಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಒತ್ತಾಯಿಸಿ ಪ್ರಧಾನಿ ಕಾರ್ಯಾಲಯದ ಮುಂದೆ ಧರಣಿ ಕೂರಬೇಕು. ಇವರ ಆಟಾಟೋಪಗಳೇನಿದ್ದರೂ ರಾಜ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾತ್ರ, ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಎಲ್ಲರು…

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) January 29, 2024

“It is unfortunate that the MPs of @BJP4Karnataka are not questioning this injustice. They have become puppets of Narendra Modi. To whom are they loyal? Kannadigas or Narendra Modi?” the CM stated.

Even as his brother’s remarks created a furore this week, Shivakumar announced Friday that the state government would stage a protest in New Delhi on February 7 against the Centre’s “step-motherly treatment” towards the state. “Karnataka has been getting a raw deal in Union Budgets. The state has lost revenue of about Rs 62,000 crore in the last five years,” he said.

While the Congress has been complaining of “discrimination” by the Centre in fund allocations since the party came to power in the state in May 2023, the party’s stand earlier was directed against alleged injustice by the 15th Finance Commission. Ever since Siddaramaiah met PM Modi in Delhi in December 2023, it has become more about the BJP government at the Centre.

“Karnataka has suffered heavy revenue loss on account of past Finance Commission recommendations, which needs to be challenged before the 16th Finance Commission. Karnataka’s share in tax devolution reduced from 4.713% under the 14th Finance Commission to 3.647% under the 15th Finance Commission,” the CM said at a conference on Fiscal Federalism at the M S Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences in Bengaluru some weeks ago.

At the meeting with the PM in December, Siddaramaiah had sought the release of Rs 18,177.44 crore of relief funds, including Rs 4,663.12 crore towards input subsidy, Rs 12,577.86 crore for emergency relief and another Rs 363.68 crore to save cattle.

“The fact that the Congress government is in power in the state seems to concern the BJP-led central government. From devolution of tax to the injustice in drought relief disbursal, to the sale of banks, ports and airports built by Kannadigas, the central government is constantly attacking Kannadigas with political malice,” Siddaramaiah said recently.

“So far, we have written 17 letters requesting drought relief, but we have neither received a response nor any financial assistance. From September last year till today, we have been writing letters asking for the state’s share of drought relief,” he said.

On January 18, the CM referred to an article in Al Jazeera regarding a book by former Niti Ayog official BVR Subramanyam and said it exposed “the Narendra Modi government’s hidden agenda in manipulating the financial autonomy of Indian states”.

In a memo given to the PM in December 2023, Siddaramaiah said that a request for relief of Rs 4,860.13 crore was submitted to the Union Agriculture Ministry on September 22, 2023, followed by the visit of an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) to the state between October 4 and October 9.

“It is nearly three months since we submitted our first memorandum, and two months since the IMCT made its field visit. The farmers of Karnataka are in deep distress. Since crops have failed, it is necessary that we pay them an input subsidy soon, to alleviate their hardship and suffering,” said the CM’s memorandum submitted to the PM.

Despite the lack of funds from the Centre, the state government claims to have released Rs 550 crore as relief to farmers from its own kitty in the first phase.

The Congress government has budgeted Rs 59,000 crore per annum for fulfilling five guarantees — free bus rides for women, Rs 2,000 allowance per month for women in poor households, free power, Rs 3,000 job allowance for unemployed graduates, and free rice.

In between the attacks on the Centre for not releasing drought relief funds, the Siddaramaiah government has also raised the issue of denial of a tableau to the state at the Republic Day parade in New Delhi, and the “sidelining” of Kannada language in Bengaluru.

In December 2023, following protests by pro-Kannada groups against the absence of Kannada in signages in the capital city of Bengaluru, the state government had decided to introduce an ordinance making it mandatory for 60% of signages to be in Kannada. But the ordinance was rejected by Governor Thawarchand Gehlot on technical grounds.

The state BJP has accused Suresh of failing to uphold the sovereignty and unity of the nation as constitutionally mandated. “On the one hand, Rahul Gandhi is doing Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra (and) on the other, Congress MP and KPCC chief D K Shivakumar’s brother, D K Suresh, calls for Bharat Todo. This is exactly the same mindset of the Congress that led to India’s Partition… If an elected MP who has taken an oath to protect the sovereignty and integrity of India calls for dividing India, isn’t it a violation of his oath?” the BJP’s Leader of Opposition in Karnataka R Ashoka said.