Hundreds of BJP workers participated in the protest and raised slogans against the state government. The protesters alleged that the government does not have adequate funds to make payments to beneficiaries under various welfare schemes, including the Guarantee schemes, Sandhya Suraksha and old-age pensions.

Mattaru Ratnakar Hegde questions financial commitments

Addressing the protesters, State BJP Executive Committee member Mattaru Ratnakar Hegde alleged that a financially distressed government is currently in power in Karnataka.

He questioned how Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar could announce allocations of ₹32,000 crore for coastal districts and ₹1 lakh crore for the Hyderabad-Karnataka region when, according to him, the state exchequer is facing a shortage of funds.

Hegde questioned the source of funding for the grants announced for different regions and alleged that the government was making large financial commitments without having sufficient resources to meet them.

He also criticised the state government's handling of drought conditions. Hegde said several districts were facing drought-like conditions and questioned the decision to spend crores of rupees on aerial surveys using helicopters.

According to him, the money spent on such surveys could instead have been provided as assistance to farmers affected by drought.

He alleged that the government had failed to take adequate measures to address the drought situation and provide relief to affected farmers.

Hegde also referred to comments by some Congress MLCs suggesting that the Guarantee schemes should be discontinued. He said such statements indicated a lack of confidence within the ruling party regarding the continuation of the schemes.

Udayakumar Shetty questions ₹32,000 crore coastal allocation

BJP leader K. Udayakumar Shetty also criticised the state government over the financial commitments announced for the coastal districts.

He described the projects and grants announced by Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar for the coastal region as "damp squibs", questioning whether the government had the financial capacity to implement them.

Shetty referred to allegations of pending bills for works worth approximately ₹2 lakh crore and claimed that the government was facing a situation in which it did not have adequate funds even to meet salary obligations of government employees.

Against this backdrop, he questioned the credibility of the announcement of ₹32,000 crore in grants for the coastal districts.

The BJP leaders alleged that the announcements were primarily intended for publicity rather than being backed by adequate financial provisions for implementation.

The allegations made by the BJP leaders at the protest were directed at the Congress government's financial management and implementation of welfare schemes and development projects.

BJP leaders participate in protest

Udupi District BJP President Kuthyaru Naveen Shetty was among those present at the protest.

District and local leaders Sandhya Ramesh, Dinakar Shetty Herga, Shilpa Suvarna, Prabhakar Poojari, Vijaya Kodavoor, Srikanth Nayak, Dinakar Babu, Madhukar Mudradi, Srinidhi Hegde, Shivakumar Ambalapadi, Pruthviraj Shetty Billadi, Rashmi Balakrishna, Girish Anchan, Dinesh Amin and Pragya Shetty also participated.

The protest saw BJP workers raise slogans against the state government, with the party leaders demanding greater financial accountability and effective measures to address the concerns of beneficiaries, farmers and government employees.

The claims regarding the state's finances, pending bills and availability of funds were made by BJP leaders during the protest.