‘Open Loot’: Row erupts as National Herald bags 69% of Karnataka ad spend, outpaces major dailies

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar (File photo)

• Karnataka allocated most ad funds to National Herald despite low state readership.
• BJP accuses Congress of misusing taxpayer money for political patronage
• Congress defends spending, calls National Herald a "national heritage"

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The Karnataka government’s disproportionate allocation of public advertisement funds to the Congress-linked National Herald newspaper, despite its negligible readership and virtually no circulation footprint in the state — or even nationally, has triggered a fresh political storm in the state. According to documents accessed by CNN-NEWS18, 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 newspaper received Rs 1.90 crore from the state exchequer. In 2024–25, it was allotted nearly Rs 99 lakh.

What has raised eyebrows is the scale of preference shown to National Herald over established national dailies. In 2024–25, Karnataka spent Rs 1.42 crore on advertisements in national-level newspapers — of which a staggering 69 per cent went to National Herald alone. Several widely circulated newspapers reportedly did not receive even half of what National Herald got, while some received nothing at all.

The exposé has also highlighted a fundamental question: why is the Karnataka government advertising in a newspaper that has little to no circulation in Karnataka and limited presence even in Delhi? Critics allege that taxpayer money is being used to financially prop up a politically affiliated publication rather than for genuine outreach or public information.

BJP calls it ‘open loot of taxpayer money’

Reacting sharply to the revelations, the Bharatiya Janata Party accused the Congress government of misusing public funds for political patronage.

Former Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Dr CN Ashwath Narayan termed the allocations “open loot of taxpayers’ money." He questioned the logic behind advertising in a newspaper with no meaningful readership and further pointed out that National Herald is already under scrutiny by the Enforcement Directorate.

“Why should public money be given to a newspaper that has no circulation in Karnataka or anywhere else? Why associate government funds with an entity already facing serious financial investigations," Narayan asked.

The BJP has demanded accountability from the Siddaramaiah-led government and sought a detailed explanation of the criteria used for allocating advertisement funds.

Congress mounts aggressive defence

Congress leaders, however, have closed ranks to defend the spending. Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment Eshwar Khandre dismissed the criticism and accused the BJP of politicising the issue.

“What is wrong in giving advertisements to National Herald," Khandre asked, asserting that questioning the allocation was “anti-national." His remarks sparked further controversy, with opposition leaders accusing the Congress of attempting to silence scrutiny by branding legitimate questions as unpatriotic.

Adding to the defence, Congress leader Pawan Khera, speaking on CNN-NewsS18, described National Herald as a “national heritage" and said it was the responsibility of the country to protect such institutions.

“National Herald is a national heritage since Independence. What problem does the media have if funds are given to the media itself," Khera said, arguing that supporting legacy institutions was justified.