The Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Tuesday saw the opposition NDA – comprising the BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) – alleging that the ruling Congress government is tinkering with the taxpayer’s money by rendering a monthly payment to party workers for overseeing its flagship guarantee schemes.

The opposition argued that these taxpayer-funded welfare programmes should be managed by elected representatives, not political appointees.

Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka said: "In every Assembly constituency, Congress leaders are being appointed and given a salary of Rs 25,000, along with personal assistants. A sitting fee of Rs 1,100 has been fixed. The state president is receiving a salary of Rs 40,000, while the vice president is being paid Rs 25,000. Every year, Rs 15-20 crore is being looted and distributed among Congress workers."

The ruling Congress, however, stood its ground in the sparring contest.

Deputy chief minister and state Congress chief DK Shivakumar dismissed the allegations and asserted that party workers have every right to oversee the state government’s programmes. “It is the will of the government. The party workers who brought this government to power have every right to oversee its programmes,” Shivakumar said.

Crux of the matter

At the heart of the dispute are the committees set up at state, district and taluk levels to implement the government’s five key welfare guarantees. The Congress has earmarked ₹51,034 crore in the 2025-26 budget for these initiatives.

The BJP and JD(S) have accused the ruling party of diverting state funds to reward its cadre under the pretext of governance.

The opposition's objections were not limited to the Assembly.

BJP MLAs stage protest

BJP MLAs staged a protest outside the Vidhana Soudha, while JD(S) MLA MT Krishnappa raised the issue inside the House. “When MLAs and officials are already overseeing programme implementation, why is the Congress government unnecessarily spending funds on party workers?” Krishnappa questioned.

Meanwhile, Ashoka took direct potshot at Shivakumar, accusing him of failing to distinguish between government and party operations. “How can you give taxpayers' money to Congress workers?" he asked. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Ashoka wrote:

"Kannadigas' tax money is being misused to pay salaries to Congress workers under the guise of guarantee implementation committees."

Former home minister and BJP leader Araga Jnanendra alleged that Congress appointees were holding parallel meetings instead of coordinating with the MLAs.

"Don't you trust us? We are already receiving salaries and perks for the same purpose. This is undemocratic," Jnanendra said, voicing out his outrage.

Shivakumar, however, remains fiercely protective of the schemes.

His staunch loyalty to the Congress’ welfare schemes has been quite visibly evident. He had recently issued a warning to Congress MLA HR Gaviyappa for questioning the financial burden of the poll guarantees.

“No MLA of the Congress party should question the guarantee schemes, we will initiate action if anyone does so,” he had said at the time.

Despite the current political storm, Shivakumar remains steadfast. “There is no question of guarantee!”, he posted on X.

The BJP is also implementing guarantees in Delhi, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh,” the Deputy CM countered.