Bengaluru, June 21 (Reporter) Congress leader Praveen Chakravarty's recent remarks against the Karnataka government's decision to engage Boston Consulting Group (BCG) as consultants have ignited a storm of controversy and criticism within political circles. On Thursday, Chakravarty stirred the pot with his pointed statement, declaring, "If one wins elections by outsourcing core political functions to external fee charging transactional consultants, then one also governs by outsourcing core policy functions to similar consultants." The government's move to enlist BCG's expertise comes amidst mounting pressures to mobilise between Rs 50,000 crore and Rs 60,000 crore annually, earmarked for implementing its electoral promises and funding essential developmental projects. BCG, a renowned global consultancy firm, is set to collaborate closely with the state's finance department over a six-month period, reportedly under a contract valued at approximately Rs 9.5 crore. However, in a turn of events, Chakravarty issued an apology for his earlier remarks, which criticised the Karnataka government's outsourcing decision. Speaking on X platform, Chakravarty, who also chairs the Professionals' Congress & Data Analytics, clarified, "I posted my private opinion on the broader culture of outsourcing core political & policy functions to outside consultants with no ‘skin in the game’. It’s an issue that is debated widely in research circles & my comment was purely academic." "In retrospect, I should have been much more sensitive about the context. It was absolutely not intended as a personal criticism of any, let alone my own party’s. I have spoken with & expressed my apologies for causing inadvertent harm to the leadership in Karnataka...////...