Karnataka govt drowning in corruption, administration in coma: R Ashoka

'The Siddaramaiah-led Congress government has sacrificed the interests of the state in many matters for the sake of political prestige and appeasement of the high command,' he said.

Bengaluru: Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka on Monday charged that the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government was “drowning in corruption” while the administration had slipped into a “coma.” 

Speaking on the motion of thanks to the Governor’s address in the Assembly, Ashoka also said that the ‘power tussle’ between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar has had an adverse impact on governance. 

“The Siddaramaiah-led Congress government has sacrificed the interests of the state in many matters for the sake of political prestige and appeasement of the high command,” Ashoka said, adding that many scandals were coming out. “To divert attention, the government is engaged in a confrontation with the Governor and the Centre,” he said. 

“This government is drowning in corruption. There is bribery everywhere,” Ashoka said, referring to allegations levelled by the Karnataka State Contractors Association (KSCA). 

Ashoka pointed out that the KSCA has flagged ‘rampant corruption’ in the Congress administration. “When the BJP was in power, we were accused of ‘40% commission’. Now, contractors have said that the rate of commission has doubled. It’s an ‘80% commission’ government,” Ashoka said. “If there was no truth in these allegations, and yet no action has been taken against contractors, it means the government has done wrong.”

Claiming that Siddaramaiah has lost grip over administration, Ashoka said: “The CM has gone from being a tiger, which he was once called, to a mouse.” 

Ashoka also said that between May 2023 and December 2025, the Congress government had introduced in the Assembly a total of 18 resolutions against the Centre. “Congress leaders are questioning why Mahatma Gandhi’s name was removed with the enactment of the VB-G RAM G Act. Congress cannot tolerate the name of Ram. That’s why the Ramanagara district was renamed,” he said.

Ashoka read out schemes and institutions named after Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. “There are 454 schemes and institutions named after their family members.”