New trouble is brewing for the Congress in Karnataka. After Chief Minister Siddaramaiah being in the dock for his alleged involvement in the MUDA scam, now the heat is on deputy CM DK Shivakumar.

On Thursday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge pulled up Shivakumar for sending a “wrong message” ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections. This rap came after Shivakumar’s suggestion that the state government’s flagship scheme of “free bus travel for women might be revised.”

At a Congress meeting in Bengaluru on Thursday, Kharge said, “Looking at your (Karnataka’s) five guarantees I have announced five in Maharashtra. You (Shivakumar) have said we will dump one of the guarantee schemes. You do not read the newspapers and I am talking about what has been reported. By saying you will revise the scheme you have created doubts. It has benefitted the Opposition (in the state).”

Kharge said the Congress’s central leadership had asked its Maharashtra unit to consider financial viability before announcing guarantees in its manifesto for the November 20 polls.

“I have said they should not announce multiple guarantees but they should announce based on the available budget. Going beyond the budget will lead to financial problems. If there are no funds for roads people will be angry,” Kharge said, adding that the party was keen on ensuring that guarantees announced before the polls were “realistic”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit out at the Congress, cornering it over its schemes.

Taking on the Congress, PM Modi said in a series of posts on X, “Campaign after campaign they promise things to the people, which they also know they will never be able to deliver. Now, they stand badly exposed in front of the people!” He used the #FakePromisesofCongress with his post.

“Check any state where the Congress has governments today — Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana — the developmental trajectory and fiscal health is turning from bad to worse. Their so-called Guarantees lie unfulfilled, which is a terrible deceit upon the people of these states…” the PM wrote.

Shivakumar issued a clarification. The Deputy CM on Friday said his comments had been taken out of context.

“My statement has been twisted. I only said that many economically empowered women working in the IT sector and MNC companies have expressed interest in paying for tickets as they get conveyance allowance from their companies

The BJP is likely to target the Congress over the issue in the coming days — and raise the heat on Shivakumar and the inter-fighting within the Karnataka Congress.

The topic of fiscal health and finances will also become important in light of the Maharashtra and Jharkhand elections coming up, particularly with relation to the manifestos and promises the parties will make.