Mysuru, Jan 31 (Reporter) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday accused the Centre of depriving the state of its rightful financial share and failing to release funds previously allocated in the Union Budget. Addressing reporters here, the Chief Minister pointed out that despite an allocation of Rs 5,300 crore for the Upper Bhadra Project in the 2023-24 Union Budget, not a single rupee had been disbursed so far. "Additionally, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) funding has been slashed by 58 per cent. Last year, NABARD allocated Rs 5,800 crore, but this year, it has been reduced to Rs 2,345 crore," Siddaramaiah stated. He further alleged that despite Karnataka contributing Rs 4 lakh crore in taxes to the Central government, the state receives only Rs 60,000 crore in return, terming it as an "unfair" tax devolution policy. On a separate issue, the Chief Minister responded to Karnataka BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra’s remarks regarding the Kumbh Mela tragedy. He asserted that everyone has the right to criticise when something goes wrong and dismissed Vijayendra's statement as "childish." Reacting to the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) report on the MUDA case, Siddaramaiah claimed that the findings were "politically motivated" and "lacked evidence of money laundering". He cited a Karnataka High Court ruling that termed the ED’s actions against former MUDA Commissioner Natesh as illegal and reaffirmed that no financial wrongdoing had been established. "By selectively releasing the ED report to the media, an intentional attempt is being made to politicise the issue and damage the reputation of the government and the Chief Minister," he said. When asked whether the MUDA case was being used to malign him, Siddaramaiah stated that as the Chief Minister, he was being targeted to "tarnish" his image. He maintained that such attempts were driven by "malice" but would ultimately fail. Responding to queries about his tenure, Siddaramaiah said the decision on whether he would serve a full five-year term rested with the party’s senior leadership. He refuted claims of any political motives behind internal party meetings, dismissing such speculations as "baseless"...////...