New Delhi, Feb 18 (.) BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala on Wednesday alleged that 22 Congress legislators from the Karnataka government embarked on a so-called “study tour” abroad at a time when the state is grappling with governance challenges.
Poonawala claimed that the trip, which reportedly took the MLAs to Australia and New Zealand, reflected “misplaced priorities” by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s administration.
In a video message, he said that while Karnataka struggles with potholes, rising prices, infrastructure issues, and law and order concerns, Congress legislators were on a foreign visit.
He further alleged that the tour was politically motivated. According to Poonawala, MLAs linked to Siddaramaiah were being kept away amid an internal power tussle with Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar. He described the trip as not a genuine study tour, but an effort to keep a particular faction “steady” during a leadership contest.
Poonawala also claimed that the state government did not have adequate funds for basic needs, even as money was allegedly being spent on the overseas visit. He asserted that the priority of the Congress leadership was “power, not people.”
There was no immediate response from the Congress party or the Karnataka government to the allegations at the time of filing this report.
. ATK .