Siddaramaiah Leads Protest Against Centre’s ‘Injustice’ in Release of Drought Relief Funds

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, accompanied by his deputy D K Shivakumar and other government officials, staged a protest in Bengaluru on Sunday, alleging that the Union government had unfairly distributed drought relief funds.

The leaders, holding ‘Chombu’ water pots symbolizing deprivation, accused the Centre of deceiving Karnataka by not providing sufficient aid to address the severe drought conditions, unprecedented in decades.

The protest took place in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue at the Vidhana Soudha, the seat of the Legislature and Secretariat. The state government has declared 226 out of 236 Taluks in Karnataka as drought-hit, with crop losses reported in 48 lakh hectares of land.

Siddaramaiah stated that despite the state’s demand for ₹18,171 crore for drought relief, the Union government only released ₹3,454 crore, and that too after the state sought intervention from the Supreme Court.