In a blistering political showdown that's heating up faster than Bihar's election fever, Karnataka's ruling Congress and opposition BJP are locked in a vicious blame game over allegedly siphoning state funds to fuel campaigns in other states. The controversy erupted as Bihar heads to the polls, with accusations flying that Karnataka has been reduced to a giant "ATM" for national party coffers.

BJP state president BY Vijayendra didn't hold back, slamming the Congress government for treating Karnataka like a cash machine. "There are countless instances proving this," he told reporters, echoing his brother and Shimoga MP BY Raghavendra's explosive claims that Congress bigwigs are frantically collecting funds right here in the state to bankroll Bihar's battle. Vijayendra pointed to the infamous Valmiki Development Corporation scam as ironclad evidence. "The ED investigation revealed funds were diverted to Telangana and even splurged on Lok Sabha elections. Have CM Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar conveniently forgotten this?" he thundered.

Adding fuel to the fire, Vijayendra cited fresh allegations from the Karnataka State Contractors Association and the CM's own economic advisor, Basavaraj Rayareddy, who have accused the government of widespread corruption, including kickbacks and fund misappropriation. Leader of Opposition R Ashoka piled on earlier, declaring that the Congress regime has shamelessly turned Karnataka into an election funding hub for the party's nationwide ambitions.

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But the Congress camp fired back with equal venom, dismissing the charges as desperate deflection from a guilty opposition. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, often called the party's master strategist, laughed off the accusations: "Vijayendra, Raghavendra, and their BJP cronies must be projecting their own dirty habits. They did it for years, so now they're hallucinating the same about us." Challenging the BJP to produce concrete proof, Shivakumar boasted, "They're terrified of Congress' strength. The I.N.D.I.A alliance will storm back to power in Bihar!"

Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy went on the offensive, highlighting the Congress government's people-friendly spending of a whopping Rs 52,000 crore on welfare schemes in Karnataka. "When BJP ruled, they secretly shipped money out to other states. We don't deal in black money like them," he retorted. In a dramatic twist, Reddy brandished an old video clip featuring BJP veterans BS Yediyurappa and the late Ananth Kumar openly discussing routing funds to the party's high command. "Let these accusers explain this first! They have zero moral ground to point fingers at Congress," he demanded.

This escalating slugfest isn't just about Bihar—it's exposing deep-rooted rivalries in Karnataka politics, where corruption scandals like Valmiki (involving alleged embezzlement of tribal welfare funds) continue to haunt the Siddaramaiah government. With ED probes ongoing and more whistleblowers emerging, insiders whisper that this could trigger bigger investigations, potentially shaking up alliances ahead of future polls.

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