Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday, 3 October 2026, disclosed that he has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, urging immediate and personal intervention to address what he described as a 'severe' drought gripping Karnataka. The letter, dated 1 October, comes amid a reported 58 per cent rainfall deficiency as of September, with widespread crop losses and acute distress affecting farming communities across the state.

Scale of the Crisis

According to Kharge's letter, Karnataka has formally sought ₹3,705.30 crore in assistance under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) framework, against estimated losses pegged at ₹18,748.23 crore. The Congress president described the situation as 'one of its gravest drought situations in recent years,' with over 31 lakh farming families reportedly facing distress.

Reservoir levels in the Cauvery and hydel catchments are described as historically low, compounding concerns about drinking water security across affected districts.

Key Demands Made to the Centre

Kharge has urged the Centre to formally declare a drought and depute a central team specifically to Kalyana Karnataka — a historically underdeveloped region — to conduct ground-level damage verification without further delay. He also demanded the sanction and release of the full ₹3,705.30 crore sought by the state, opposing what he termed 'arbitrary reduction' of the assistance.

On input subsidies, Kharge pressed the government to calculate payouts on the basis of Karnataka's updated Bhoomi land records rather than the 'outdated' 2015–16 Agriculture Census, arguing the older data risks excluding genuinely eligible farmers. He further called for the 11 additional taluks currently undergoing ground truthing to be treated as part of a 'single continuing drought event' for the purpose of central assistance — a procedural point that could significantly expand the relief footprint.

Water and Power Security

The letter also seeks enhanced Centre support for drinking water security and the cost of substitute power, particularly in view of the low reservoir levels. Kharge cited the combination of agricultural losses, water scarcity, and power costs as compounding pressures on affected households that ordinary SDRF norms may not fully address.

Political Dimension and Appeal

Kharge explicitly called on the Centre to set aside partisan considerations, stating that 'drought relief is a humanitarian imperative and must rise above political differences between the Centre and the State.' The appeal is notable given the ongoing political friction between the Congress-led Karnataka state government and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre. He urged the government to act 'with urgency and compassion,' providing sustenance, fodder, water, and livelihood security to millions of citizens.

This is not the first time a state government or opposition leader has flagged delayed or reduced NDRF transfers — similar complaints have been raised by multiple non-BJP state governments over the past several years. The Centre has yet to publicly respond to Kharge's letter.