‘Did his comments as Guj CM threaten national security?’: Karnataka CM lashes out at PM Modi for criticising ‘Chalo Delhi’ protest

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks that the ‘Chalo Delhi’ protest – held against the injustice to Karnataka in devolution of taxes and other issues – threatens the unity and security of the nation has shocked me,” he said.

Recalling the criticism by Modi when he was the chief minister of Gujarat and the UPA government was in the Centre, Siddaramaiah asked if his statements had also threatened national unity and security.

“As the Gujarat CM, Modi had advocated for an increase in the state’s share of taxes devolved by the Centre. He wanted a change in the tax-sharing formula which gave more incentives to states who have failed in financial management and ignored the states which did well. He had argued this with the (14th) Finance Commission. Was it not a stance against the Centre?” Siddaramaiah asked.

If Modi’s numerous attacks against the Central government during his tenure as CM “did not threaten the unity and security of the nation, how has our protest threatened it?” Siddaramaiah asked in a post on X.

Following the protest by the Karnataka government, Modi told the Rajya Sabha, “Congress now has a new hobby of creating narratives to break the nation. As if what they divided (in the past) was not sufficient. Remarks are now being made to divide North and South India.” Modi was referring to the ‘My tax, My Right’ campaign of the Karnataka government.