Bangalore: The ruling Karnataka authorities’s choice to allocate 10 billion rupees for the rehabilitation of landslide victims in Wayanad, a state on the Karnataka border, has drawn fierce criticism from the opposition Bharatiya Janata Celebration (BJP).
The Karnataka authorities on Monday submitted its third and remaining supplementary estimates for monetary yr 2025-26 totaling Rs 14,767.89 crore. This consists of Rs 10 billion for “rehabilitation of 100 landslide-affected households in Meppadi, Wayanad district”, which is the second time that funds have been allotted for this objective. The primary Rs 10 million was allotted in August 2025, and the entire dedication now stands at Rs 20 million.
Opposition chief and Bharatiya Janata Celebration chief R. Ashoka known as Siddaramaiah the “Kerala CM” and accused him of what he outlined as “political servitude.” Tejasvi Surya, a Bharatiya Janata Celebration lawmaker from Bengaluru, questioned the ethical compass of the Karnataka Congress and accused it of losing billions on “election gimmicks” in poll-bound Kerala.
“There’s a consuming water downside within the state, there are potholes within the roads, and farmers are dying as a consequence of debt. So what sort of ethical compass does he need to waste billions of Kannadigas cash on electoral politics in Kerala…” Tejasvi Surya mentioned in a put up on X.
Ashoka mentioned that on the request of Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency MP Priyanka Gandhi, Siddaramaiah was giving the “reward of rehabilitation” throughout state borders to Wayanad landslide victims in poll-bound Kerala.
“Is Mr. Siddaramaiah the Chief Minister of Karnataka or Kerala? At a time when Karnataka is struggling to clear dues to contractors, pay rubbish administration businesses, restore authorities colleges and guarantee medicines for hospitals. The @INCKarnataka authorities one way or the other got here up with one other Rs 1000 crore for Wayanad, the constituency represented by Saint Priyanka Gandhi Vadra,” Ashoka mentioned in a put up on Tuesday.
The Karnataka chief minister has characterised the problem as a “dispute over authentic funds” from the central authorities, however the criticism comes at a time when Siddaramaiah was commenting on the state’s monetary issues.
Siddaramaiah had earlier defended the allocation to Wayanad, saying, “…lots of of individuals have died. Should not we be humanitarian? It’s our regulation and accountability to assist.”
The most important allocations within the total supplementary estimates are for irrigation tasks, human-elephant battle mitigation, and authorities packages.
The landslide was not the primary pure catastrophe in Wayanad, after which Siddaramaiah allotted aid funds, triggering a political slugfest.
In February 2023, Karnataka allotted Rs 1.5 million in compensation after a 47-year-old farmer was trampled to dying by a wild elephant in Wayanad, Kerala, sparking opposition assaults. In August 2025, his household advised ThePrint that they’d not acquired the cash, saying, “They mentioned they might give the cash, however we later heard that the choice was controversial there.” Forest and Ecology Minister Eshwar Khandre confirmed on the time that no compensation had been paid outdoors the state.
Siddaramaiah’s allocation to Wayanad raises questions as this constituency is the stronghold of the Congress, which changed Rahul Gandhi with Priyanka Gandhi in November 2024. Nevertheless it’s not simply Kerala. Karnataka additionally allotted aid funds to Himachal Pradesh (2023), Gujarat (2001) and Maharashtra (2012, 2019 and 2021) following pure disasters.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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