Joshi slams Congress over treatment of Siddaramaiah
Synopsis
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi accused the Congress high command of using outgoing Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah as an 'ATM,' comparing his treatment to that of OBC CM Veerendra Patil removed by Rajiv Gandhi in 1990, and rejecting Siddaramaiah's farewell-speech blame on the Centre for the state's fiscal woes.
Key Takeaways
Pralhad Joshi posted in Kannada on 28 May 2026 attacking Congress over its treatment of Siddaramaiah as he stepped down as Karnataka CM.
Joshi drew a parallel between Siddaramaiah's exit and the removal of OBC CM Veerendra Patil by the Congress high command under Rajiv Gandhi in 1990 .
He accused Rahul Gandhi and the Congress high command of using Siddaramaiah 'like an ATM' for three years while worsening Karnataka's finances.
Joshi cited Jal Jeevan Mission , 15th Finance Commission grants, and GST devolution as examples of Central funds already released to Karnataka.
He criticised Siddaramaiah's farewell address for blaming the Centre for the state's depleted treasury after what Joshi called 'unscientific guarantee schemes.' The BJP framing explicitly invokes the OBC identity of both Patil and Siddaramaiah, targeting backward-class voters in Karnataka.
Union Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi launched a sharp attack on the Congress high command on Thursday, 28 May 2026, accusing the Gandhi family of treating outgoing Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah as an 'ATM' and comparing his treatment to that of former CM Veerendra Patil under Rajiv Gandhi.
Context
Joshi's post in Kannada came in direct response to Siddaramaiah's farewell address to the Karnataka assembly, in which the outgoing Chief Minister blamed the Central government for the state's depleted finances. Joshi called it 'ನಿಜಕ್ಕೂ ವಿಷಾದನೀಯ' ('truly regrettable') that Siddaramaiah chose to 'pin the owl' — a Kannada idiom for unfairly shifting blame — on New Delhi while sharing his political memoirs.
Siddaramaiah, who led the Congress government in Karnataka since the party's victory in the May 2023 assembly elections, stepped down after completing roughly three years in office, making way for a leadership transition within the state unit.
The Veerendra Patil Parallel
The most pointed element of Joshi's post was a historical comparison: he drew a direct line between the Congress high command's removal of Veerendra Patil as Karnataka Chief Minister in 1990 under Rajiv Gandhi and what he described as the Gandhi family's current treatment of Siddaramaiah. Patil, who belonged to the Other Backward Classes (OBC) community, was replaced amid internal party manoeuvring, an episode that has remained a sensitive chapter in Karnataka's political memory.
Joshi wrote that 'the manner in which the Congress party treated a Chief Minister from the backward classes is intolerable,' explicitly framing both episodes as the Gandhi family's disregard for OBC leaders who served as Karnataka's top executive.
Fiscal Allegations and Central Schemes
Joshi accused Rahul Gandhi and the Congress high command of using Siddaramaiah 'like an ATM' over three years, worsening Karnataka's fiscal position. He cited the Centre's financial assistance through the Jal Jeevan Mission, 15th Finance Commission grants, GST devolution, and the VBGY Ram Ji scheme as examples of funds that had been clearly communicated and released by New Delhi.
The minister alleged that to balance the state budget, Siddaramaiah raised prices of essential commodities and hiked fuel prices on three occasions even when there was no supply shortage. Joshi further contended that 'unscientific guarantee schemes' — a reference to Congress's pre-election welfare promises — were funded by hollowing out Karnataka's economy to satisfy the high command, and that blaming the Centre after all this was deeply disappointing.
It is worth noting that the research available to NationPress does not independently verify the specific claim of three fuel price hikes or the precise utilisation figures for central releases post-2023.
Stakeholders and Political Impact
The attack carries significance beyond inter-party sparring. By invoking the OBC identity of both Veerendra Patil and Siddaramaiah — the latter is a prominent OBC leader from the Kuruba community — Joshi is signalling to backward-class voters in Karnataka that Congress has a pattern of exploiting and discarding their leaders. This framing aligns with BJP's broader national strategy of consolidating OBC support ahead of future electoral contests.
For Karnataka citizens, the exchange intensifies the ongoing debate over whether the state's fiscal stress stems from the Centre's alleged underfunding or from the state government's own expenditure decisions on guarantee schemes. The state finance department and opposition benches in the Karnataka assembly are likely to become arenas for this dispute in the coming weeks.
What's Next
With a new Chief Minister set to take charge in Karnataka, the fiscal narrative will be tested against actual budget allocations and supplementary demands in the assembly. Any Parliamentary debate on pending 15th Finance Commission grants or GST compensation dues could give both sides fresh ammunition. Joshi's post signals that the BJP intends to keep Karnataka's finances in the national spotlight, framing the incoming Congress leadership as inheritors of a self-inflicted crisis.
Point of View
And the historical parallel gives the attack an emotional, identity-laden edge that transcends routine centre-state budget disputes. By targeting Rahul Gandhi by name alongside the 'high command,' the BJP reinforces its long-standing narrative that Congress-ruled states are actually governed from Delhi by a dynastic coterie rather than by locally elected leaders. This positions the party well for the next Karnataka electoral cycle, where OBC consolidation and fiscal credibility are both live issues.
NationPress
14 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Pralhad Joshi compare Siddaramaiah to Veerendra Patil?
Joshi drew the comparison to highlight what he called a recurring Congress pattern of mistreating OBC Chief Ministers from Karnataka. Veerendra Patil, an OBC leader, was removed as Karnataka CM in 1990 under Congress high command pressure, and Joshi argued that Siddaramaiah has now been similarly discarded after being used to fund the party's political agenda.
What did Siddaramaiah say in his farewell speech that drew Joshi's response?
Siddaramaiah, in his farewell address to the Karnataka assembly, attributed the state's depleted finances to the Central government. Joshi called this 'truly regrettable,' arguing that the Centre had clearly communicated and released funds through multiple schemes and that the fiscal stress was caused by the state's own spending decisions.
What is the 'ATM' allegation Joshi made against Congress?
Joshi alleged that Rahul Gandhi and the Congress high command used Siddaramaiah 'like an ATM' during his three years as Chief Minister — meaning they extracted political and financial resources from Karnataka to satisfy the party's national agenda without regard for the state's fiscal health.
Which Central schemes did Pralhad Joshi cite in his post?
Joshi cited the Jal Jeevan Mission, 15th Finance Commission grants, GST devolution, and the VBGY Ram Ji scheme as examples of Central financial assistance that had been released and communicated to Karnataka, rejecting the state government's claims of Central neglect.
What happens to Karnataka's government after Siddaramaiah's departure?
Siddaramaiah stepped down after roughly three years as Chief Minister, and a new Congress leader is set to take charge of the Karnataka government. The transition keeps Congress in power in the state, but the fiscal and political disputes he leaves behind are expected to continue in the state assembly and in Parliament.
