Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has landed in a fresh controversy after the state government earmarked ₹10 crore for Kerala’s Wayanad region.
The allocation is meant to support rehabilitation of families affected by a landslide in 2024. Siddaramaiah has argued that helping a neighbouring state is a duty, and this is the second such assistance—after a similar ₹10 crore support announced in August last year.
The move has drawn sharp questions from the BJP and other parties, who point to Siddaramaiah’s own remarks about Karnataka’s weak finances. They cited pending payments to contractors, lack of funds for road repairs, medicine shortages in government hospitals and difficulties in paying sanitation workers.
Critics have also linked the decision to Wayanad being represented in Parliament by Priyanka Gandhi, alleging political considerations. The report recalled a 2023 episode in which Siddaramaiah announced ₹15 lakh aid after a farmer died in a wild elephant attack in Wayanad, but Kerala’s minister later said the money was never paid; the family eventually declined the aid and the announcement was withdrawn.
