Hassan, Dec 6 Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Saturday that the state is likely to lose around Rs 12,000 crore this year due to lower GST collections.
“We had projected tax revenue of Rs 1,26,000 crore. But there will be a shortfall of Rs 12,000 crore, and even reaching Rs 88,000 crore will be difficult as there have been lower GST collections,” said the Chief Minister while speaking to the media in Hassan.
Attacking Union Minister H.D. Kumarawamy for questioning his (Siddaramaiah) contributions to the Ahinda communities, the Chief Minister asked why Kumaraswamy is not questioning such things, as he is a Member of Parliament from Mandya.
“Instead of asking what I did for Ahinda, has he ever spoken about the GST collection in the Parliament?” he said.
The Chief Minister said Karnataka has suffered losses in GST revenue between September and November 2025.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced GST in 2017. Since then, taxes have been collected from the public. Now, by reducing GST rates mid-financial year, the Central government has caused revenue loss to the states. Except for Kerala, Maharashtra and Karnataka, all other states have also recorded a drop in GST collection,” he said.
He said Union Minister Kumaraswamy has not raised his voice about this revenue loss.
“The Union Finance Minister had announced Rs 5,300 crore for the Upper Bhadra project in the budget. Even the previous state government mentioned it in their budget. But the Centre has still not released the funds,” said the Chief Minister.
He added that the Cauvery Water Management Authority, which is under the Union government, has not yet approved a crucial state project.
“This is an injustice to the people of Mandya,” he stated.
The Chief Minister also claimed that the state government has spent Rs 1,08,135 crore on guarantee schemes, and the benefits have been transferred directly to the accounts of beneficiaries without any middlemen.
He recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier claimed that the guarantee schemes were impossible to implement, and that Karnataka would go bankrupt if they were implemented.
“But we implemented them,” claimed the Chief Minister.
Responding to the criticism of Union Minister H.D. Kumarawamy questioning his contributions to Ahinda communities, Siddaramaiah claimed that he has made significant contributions to the organisation of Ahinda communities.
He also demanded that Kumaraswamy clarify what contributions he has made to Mandya, the region he represents in the Lok Sabha.
Ahinda refers to a coalition of minorities, backward classes, and Dalits.
Siddaramaiah said he had played a major role in organising Ahinda communities and that they have extended several guarantee schemes and welfare programmes for labourers, the poor, Dalits, minorities and for women’s empowerment.
“Kumaraswamy only belongs to a farmer family—what exactly are his contributions to the farming community?” he asked.
Referring to the Supreme Court’s concern over the delay in implementing women’s reservation, Siddaramaiah said: “From the beginning, our government has been at the forefront in demanding women’s reservation in Parliament and the Legislature. When a reservation must be given immediately, why is the Centre delaying it?”
He said the government is transparent. “Let the opposition bring a no-confidence motion. We are ready to face it. Our government is like an open book. We are prepared to face everything,” he said.
He said the government is taking human-wildlife conflict very seriously and will make sincere efforts to resolve it.
When asked about former minister K.N. Rajanna’s remark that “there is no Congress without Siddaramaiah,” the CM declined to comment.
Responding to a question about the murder of a Congress worker in Chickmagalur over a banner dispute, Siddaramaiah said action will be taken as per the law. “I will speak to the district authorities,” he added.
--IANS
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