Karnataka Ad Spend Under Scrutiny Over Disproportionate Allocation to National Herald

The Karnataka government’s allocation of public advertisement funds to the Congress-linked National Herald has sparked a political controversy, following revelations that the newspaper—despite having negligible readership and virtually no circulation footprint in Karnataka or at the national level—received a disproportionately large share of state advertising expenditure.

Documents accessed by CNN-News18 show that National Herald emerged as the single largest beneficiary of Karnataka’s advertisement spending among national newspapers for two consecutive financial years. In 2023–24, the publication received ₹1.90 crore from the state exchequer, followed by an allocation of nearly ₹99 lakh in 2024–25.

The scale of preference extended to National Herald has drawn particular attention when compared with established national dailies. During 2024–25, the Karnataka government spent ₹1.42 crore on advertisements in national-level newspapers, of which approximately 69 per cent was allocated to National Herald alone. Several widely circulated newspapers reportedly received significantly lower amounts, while some did not receive any allocation.

The disclosures have raised questions about the rationale behind advertising in a publication with limited circulation in Karnataka and minimal presence even in Delhi. Critics have alleged that public funds are being used to financially support a politically affiliated newspaper rather than to serve the purpose of effective public outreach or dissemination of information.

BJP Alleges Misuse of Public Funds

The Bharatiya Janata Party reacted strongly to the findings, accusing the Congress-led government of misusing taxpayer money for political patronage. Former Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Dr C.N. Ashwath Narayan described the allocations as an “open loot of taxpayers’ money,” questioning the logic of advertising in a newspaper with no significant readership.

He also pointed out that National Herald is currently under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate, arguing that government funds should not be associated with an entity facing financial scrutiny. The BJP has demanded accountability from the Siddaramaiah-led government and sought clarity on the criteria used for allocating advertisement funds.

Congress Defends Allocation

Congress leaders, however, have defended the government’s decision. Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment Eshwar Khandre dismissed the criticism, accusing the BJP of politicising the issue and asserting that there was nothing improper about providing advertisements to National Herald. His remarks triggered further debate, with opposition leaders objecting to the characterisation of criticism as unpatriotic.

Congress leader Pawan Khera, speaking to CNN-News18, described National Herald as a “national heritage” publication dating back to the Independence era. He argued that supporting legacy institutions was justified and questioned objections to government funds being allocated to media organisations.

The controversy continues to fuel political sparring in Karnataka, with the opposition pressing for greater transparency and the ruling party standing by its decision.