Alleging that outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has left the State in a financial mess with dues to the tune of ₹75,689 crore waiting to be paid, besides putting the State under a “massive debt burden”, the Opposition BJP on Monday expressed fear that Chief Minister-designate D.K. Shivakumar may resort to increasing taxes due to paucity of funds.Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Leader of the Opposition R. Ashok alleged that the pending dues included ₹38,000 crore towards contractors’ bills, ₹12,500 crore to be paid to Escoms, ₹5,000 crore towards pending instalments of Gruha Lakshmi, ₹4,500 crore towards reimbursement to RTCs towards Shakti scheme, ₹2,000 crore towards RTC staff and ₹600 crore towards Annabhagya scheme.“Everyone praised Siddaramaiah for handing over power gracefully, but this is the real secret behind it. But the financial mess was the reason why Mr. Siddaramaiah did not fight to retain power. He has now dumped the responsibility of clearing the financial mess on Mr. Shivakumar,” Mr. Ashok remarked.Mr. Ashok declared that the party would fight to ensure that the pending instalments for Gruha Lakshmi and Annabhagya are paid.Further ridiculing Mr. Siddaramaiah, he said: “Mr. Siddaramaiah refused to attend meetings called by the Centre and missed the opportunity to represent the interests of the State. But now he is making quick visits to Delhi to bargain for a position for his son.”Mr. Ashok maintained that the Congress high command had earned the wrath of the OBCs, particularly that of the Kuruba community to which Mr. Siddaramaiah belongs, by unseating him abruptly. “The Congress high command ordered Mr. Siddaramaiah to step down immediately, though he asked for a time of three months,” he claimed.Mr. Ashok predicted that the ruling Congress would face an internal tussle soon after the swearing-in ceremony of Mr. Shivakumar as Chief Minister. Published - June 01, 2026 08:11 pm IST