BJP MP Alleges Revenue Slump, Poor Governance in Karnataka

Lahar Singh Siroya, a BJP Rajya Sabha MP, accused the Congress government of "poor governance" in Karnataka, a sharp drop in performance, and missed income objectives on Friday.

The Siddaramaiah government, which has the chief minister in charge of finance, is unlikely to meet its revenue mobilisation goal for the 2025–2026 fiscal year, according to a press release from Siroya.

According to estimates, the state only earned Rs 1.38 lakh crore between March and December 2025, despite having set a revenue target of Rs 2.03 lakh crore.

Calling the figures an indictment of the government, Siroya said, "The overall performance of the Congress government in Karnataka has declined. Its revenue targets have not been met, according to its own assessment." Citing estimates, he said the government is expected to raise only a small portion of the remaining amount by March 2026.

Siroya pointed out that the commercial taxes department alone is likely to face a shortfall of around Rs 9,000 crore, while the transport department has projected a 10 per cent gap in meeting its revenue targets.

He added that the stamps and registration department has achieved only about 65 per cent of its target so far, with the excise department being the only one confident of meeting its goal.

The Rajya Sabha MP noted that while beer consumption has declined, sales of hard liquor have increased, contributing to excise collections.

He said the overall picture reflected what he termed an "all-round failure" of the government, attributing it to "internal power struggles, alleged corruption and flawed policies." "It is common knowledge that the five or six guarantees have emptied the state coffers," he said, alleging that even their implementation has been inconsistent.

He described the disarray saw during the Assembly's Belagavi session last month as "evidence of policy paralysis." Siroya also cited a different assessment that stated that the government's total governance performance, as determined by the use and distribution of grants and funds, was 51.6 per cent. He claimed that this was almost six percentage points worse than the results from the same time last year.

According to reports, the evaluation was conducted in December 2025 during a meeting presided over by the top secretary.

Siroya asserted that Siddaramaiah's record had benefited him rather than the public, citing the chief minister's comments about his term.

"Governance outcomes matter to citizens, not personal milestones," he added.