CM leads protest against Centre, PM says stop 'divisive moves'

New Delhi: Top Congress leaders from Karnataka led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday held a protest in Delhi against the Centre over alleged injustice to the southern state in devolution of taxes, sparking a fierce slugfest between the party and the Modi government.

As the leaders upped the ante with their 'Chalo Delhi' protest in Jantar Mantar just weeks ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing counter attack on the Congress and urged the Karnataka government to stop creating new narratives to divide the country as it jeopardises India's future.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, several Congress MPs, ministers and MLAs from Karnataka were also part of the protests which lasted two hours.

The Congress has alleged that "injustice" has been meted out to Karnataka in tax devolution and grantsin-aid over the past few years.

The party leaders demanded that the Centre set right the losses to the tune of Rs 1.87 lakh crore allegedly incurred by Karnataka under the 15th Finance Commission.

Siddaramaiah said their protest is not against the BJP but the discrimination against Karnataka.

Dismissing the BJP's allegation that the protest was aimed at raking up a NorthSouth divide, the chief minister said the Congress wants the country to be united but there should be no discrimination against the southern states.

"We are raising the issue of discrimination meted out by the government of India to the state of Karnataka and other southern states," Siddaramaiah said while addressing the protesters.

"Our protest is to urge that the hen that lays the golden egg should not be beheaded, and the udder that gives milk should not be cut," he added. (PTI)