Vishwanath questions ‘excessive’ spending on Karnataka Chief Minister’s travel, security

BJP member H. Vishwanath on Tuesday questioned what he described as “excessive” and avoidable expenditure by the State government on security and travel arrangements for the Chief Minister and Ministers.

Participating in a discussion on the Budget in the Legislative Council, Mr. Vishwanath asked whether public money collected through taxes could be spent so freely.

Trips to Mysuru

He pointed out that Mysuru is about 120 km from Bengaluru and can be reached within an hour with an escort, but the Chief Minister was opting for special aircraft on a regular basis. He alleged that about ₹38 crore had been spent so far on such travel, with each trip costing around ₹6.5 lakh. He also referred to the use of special aircraft for shorter distances, including travel from Mysuru to Hunsur, and for trips to Delhi.

Drawing a comparison, Mr. Vishwanath said that even industrialist Narayana Murthy and his wife Sudha Murty travel by commercial flights, and questioned whether Karnataka was in a position to bear such expenditure.

‘Expensive’ security 

He also raised concerns over security arrangements, questioning the need for what he termed as “expensive” protection. Referring to the number of Ministers and officials with Cabinet-rank status, he said there were 33 Ministers and several others - around 149 persons in total -  enjoying such facilities, leading to additional expenditure. He questioned whether such levels of security, including Z-category cover for some, were necessary.

“The Congress government has spent nearly ₹532 crore on advertisements over the past two years. This could have been used for development and welfare programmes,” he said.

Alleging that the State was witnessing financial strain, with rising debt and delays in implementation of programmes, he said there was a shortage of nearly 2 lakh government employees and asked how development could be carried out without adequate staff.

On Finance Minister post

He suggested that the State appoint a separate Finance Minister, arguing that the responsibility required dedicated attention to ensure the presentation of a sound Budget.

The remarks led to interruptions from members of the Treasury Benches. Congress Chief Whip Saleem Ahmed said that similar practices were followed during the BJP’s tenure as well, including security arrangements for former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, and objected to the tone of the criticism.

Members on the Treasury Benches maintained that official travel and related expenditure were part of governance and public outreach.