Bengaluru, Nov 10: Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra has accused the Congress government in the state of spending Rs 473 crore on advertisements over the past three years, alleging that it has prioritised publicity and self-promotion over public welfare and development.

In a lengthy post on X, Vijayendra cited media reports on the alleged expenditure and criticised the government for what he described as its failure to address pressing public issues.

“The Congress government in Karnataka has reportedly blown a staggering Rs 473 crore on advertisements in just three years. That is more than Rs 43 lakh every single day — not for building roads, creating jobs or supporting farmers, but for projecting its own image,” he wrote.

Accusing the government of focusing more on publicity than governance, the BJP leader said people continued to struggle with rising living costs, deteriorating infrastructure and delays in development works.

Targeting the government over the recent hikes in milk prices and bus fares, Vijayendra said its response to public concerns appeared to be limited to “more advertisements, more self-promotion and more excuses”.

He also flagged the condition of Bengaluru’s roads and alleged that contractors were still waiting for payments due to them.

“Bengaluru’s roads are crumbling, exposing the government’s failure to manage even its own capital. Contractors are desperately waiting for their legitimate pending payments,” he said.

Vijayendra further questioned the financial sustainability of the Congress government’s guarantee schemes, which the party had projected as one of its major achievements. He alleged that financial constraints were making their implementation increasingly difficult.

Questioning whether the Congress government had fulfilled the expectations of voters, Vijayendra said people wanted better roads, affordable living, employment opportunities, timely payments to contractors and meaningful support for farmers rather than the Chief Minister’s photographs dominating newspaper advertisements.

“Public money is meant for public welfare, not political self-promotion,” he said.

The BJP leader has previously criticised the state government over the increase in dairy product prices and bus fares, accusing it of imposing an additional financial burden on people during the Deepavali festival.