Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara has defended the state government’s demand for drought relief from the Centre, saying such assistance is a legitimate right under India’s federal system and not an act of seeking alms. His remarks came in response to criticism by Karnataka Opposition Leader R. Ashoka over the state’s letter seeking relief for drought-affected areas.
Speaking in Bengaluru, Parameshwara said the Union government was not the master of the states and that elected state governments were not its servants. He said Karnataka’s demand was connected to taxes paid by the state’s people and to the constitutional and administrative framework governing disaster relief.
He described Ashoka’s response and the words used by him as objectionable. Karnataka’s farmers were not beggars but food providers for the country, Parameshwara said, adding that supporting farmers during a crisis was the Centre’s responsibility. He questioned how requesting assistance could be portrayed as begging under a cooperative federal system.
Parameshwara referred to the National Disaster Response Fund and the State Disaster Response Fund, saying both systems were established under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, and the recommendations of the Finance Commissions. Their purpose, he said, was to provide assistance to states during natural disasters. He stated that the Centre contributes 75 per cent and the state contributes 25 per cent under the system.
If seeking support through these funds amounted to begging, the Bharatiya Janata Party should explain why Parliament had created such laws and mechanisms, he said. The remarks place the dispute within the formal disaster-management structure rather than treating drought assistance as an ad hoc political request.
Parameshwara also claimed that Karnataka contributes approximately ₹5 lakh crore to the Centre every year through various taxes, cess and surcharges. In return, the state receives only 13 paise through tax devolution and grants for every rupee, he said, describing this as an injustice to Karnataka. The statement did not provide a further breakdown of the figures.
He further said Ashoka had met the central drought study team on the 7th and requested that it recommend higher compensation. If the Opposition leader’s request was considered a struggle on behalf of farmers, the same demand from the state government could not be described as begging, Parameshwara argued.
The Deputy Chief Minister called for the Congress and BJP to avoid confrontation over such issues and said farmers’ interests should take precedence over party politics. He accused the BJP of politicising the matter and said the state government had chosen to prioritise the interests of farmers.
https://www.prajavani.net/news/karnataka-news/karnataka-state-government-not-central-slave-parameshwara-4375669
