Bengaluru, March 11 -- Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, R Ashoka, on Tuesday accused the state government of increasing Karnataka's debt burden through extensive borrowing and diversion of funds meant for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to finance its guarantee schemes.

Speaking during the debate on demands for grants under the 2026-27 state budget, Ashoka alleged that borrowings undertaken during Siddaramaiah's earlier tenure and the current term together amounted to Rs.4.36 lakh crore, accounting for 52.23% of Karnataka's total debt. Based on this, he added that the loan burden per resident rose to Rs.1,12,400.

He compared these figures with borrowings under previous administrations. Despite the financial strain durin...