Congress members in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly came for the 2023-24 State Budget presentation on Friday, February 17, wearing flowers over their ears. Calling it #KiviMeleHoova campaign, the Congress said that this was to symbolise how the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had made fools of people by not fulfilling the promises made in the previous budget.
Before Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai started to present his second budget in the Assembly, Opposition leader Siddaramaiah and other Congress leaders who had all arrived with flowers over their ears, raised objections. Siddaramaiah said that the flower was symbolic of how this was yet another budget that only aimed to “cheat people.” He also said that the BJP will not fulfil any of the promises in this year’s Budget. After the initial ruckus, the Chief Minister started reading out the Budget document.
The Congress has been targeting the BJP for months now alleging corruption at all levels. Based on accusations made by Karnataka State Contractors’ Association that they were forced to pay BJP MLAs and ministers huge bribes before the commencement of any project, the Congress had started calling the Bommai government ‘40% commission government.’ Later, the Congress started a campaign called ‘PayCM’, in which the party members put up 'PayCM’ posters at public places, featuring a photograph of CM Bommai and a QR code leading to the Congress party’s anti-corruption campaign website.