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New Delhi: Asserting that the opposition has a "lack of historical understanding," Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has launched a fierce defence of the state government's decision to allocate significant advertising revenue to the National Herald. Shivakumar dismissed claims of financial impropriety, framing the expenditure as a tribute to a historic institution that voiced India’s struggle for independence.
The 'historical Ignorance' rebuttal
The Deputy CM’s remarks came as a direct counter-attack following allegations that the Congress-led government was using taxpayer funds to benefit a specific political lineage.
“Pralhad Joshi does not know the history of the National Herald,” Shivakumar told reporters. “This paper was born during the struggle for independence. It has contributed immensely to our nation’s freedom. Those who criticise it today clearly have no respect for the country’s history or the freedom struggle.”
He emphasised that because the publication was established by India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, supporting it is a matter of "national pride" rather than a political favour.
'Bribing the Gandhi family'
The controversy was ignited by Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, who on Thursday accused the Karnataka government of effectively "bribing" the Nehru-Gandhi family. Joshi alleged that the state was siphoning public money through disproportionate advertisement allocations to the newspaper.
“The Congress government in Karnataka has given more advertisement revenue to the National Herald newspaper than any established newspapers or periodicals in the country. That itself is a scam,” the Joshi told reporters.
The numbers under scrutiny
The scale of the preference shown to the National Herald has become a focal point of the debate. Financial data for the 2024–25 period reveals:
Total National Ad Spend: Karnataka spent Rs 1.42 crore on advertisements in national-level newspapers.
The Lion's Share: A staggering 69 percent of that total (approximately ₹98 lakh) was awarded to the National Herald alone.
The Disparity: Several major, high-circulation national dailies reportedly received less than half of the National Herald's allocation, while others received no government ads at all.
Escalating political tension
The BJP is now intensifying its pressure on the state government, calling for a formal investigation into the advertisement funds distributed over the last two financial years. While DK Shivakumar maintains that the BJP’s opposition only proves they "do not value the sacrifices made during the freedom movement," the opposition continues to label the spending as a misappropriation of taxpayer resources during a time of tightening state priorities.
