Amid mounting pressure from opposition parties and a section of the people over the implementation of the Congress’s five poll guarantees, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Monday held a meeting with officials from various departments while his deputy, DK Shivakumar, assured that the “responsible government” would fulfil all promises made to the people of the state.
While Shivakumar did not specify any timeline to implement the poll promises, he maintained that a cabinet meeting on June 1 will hold discussions to fulfil them.
“There is a cabinet meeting on June 1. The chief minister has the responsibility of the finance department. He will discuss with officials and bring the relevant information to the cabinet. We will keep up our promise. We will have to do it systematically and preparations are on,” Shivakumar said.
“There is a responsible government in the state and it will keep up the promises made to its people and there is no need to worry,” he added.
The deputy chief minister’s remarks came as the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continued to attack the government over the alleged delay in implementing the poll promises. Former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said the government had failed to serve its people.
In the run up to the elections, the Congress had promised 200 units of free power to all households under the Gruha Jyothi scheme, ₹2,000/- month to each woman head of the family under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, free travel for women in government-run buses under the Gruha Shakti scheme, ₹3,000/month to unemployed graduates and ₹1,500/month to unemployed diploma graduates for two years under the Yuva Nidhi scheme and 10 kg food grains to each member of a below poverty line (BPL) family under the Anna Bhagya scheme.
{{/usCountry}}In the run up to the elections, the Congress had promised 200 units of free power to all households under the Gruha Jyothi scheme, ₹2,000/- month to each woman head of the family under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, free travel for women in government-run buses under the Gruha Shakti scheme, ₹3,000/month to unemployed graduates and ₹1,500/month to unemployed diploma graduates for two years under the Yuva Nidhi scheme and 10 kg food grains to each member of a below poverty line (BPL) family under the Anna Bhagya scheme.
{{/usCountry}}During the poll campaign, the Congress repeatedly said it would give a stamp of approval for these guarantees in the maiden cabinet meeting on the first day of assuming power in the state.
At a cabinet meeting on May 20, soon after the swearing-in of 10 ministers, the government had accorded “in-principle” approval to the five guarantees. Siddaramaiah told reporters that the guarantees would “most likely” be implemented after the next cabinet meeting.
According to people familiar with the matter, Siddaramaiah on Monday held a meeting in Bengaluru during which he gathered information from senior officials of the food civil supplies department, skill development department, women and child welfare department, transport department and energy department on the implementation of the poll guarantees.
On Sunday, Siddaramaiah had allocated portfolios to 33 ministers.
On Monday, BJP MP Renukacharya in Honnali asked people not to clear their power bills and suggested that women refrain from purchasing bus tickets.
Former chief minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy made similar statements last week and questioned the government over the delay in implementation of the guarantees.
“I appeal to families using less than 200 units to not pay the power bills. Pay only if you are using more than 200 units because they (Congress) have promised free electricity up to 200 units. I also want to appeal to women not to pay bus fares on any government buses, including luxury ones,” Kumaraswamy said.
In some places like Koppal and Belagavi, clashes erupted between people and Escom officials over alleged resistance to clear power bills earlier this month. Altercations were also reported in Koppal between women passengers and bus conductors over the Congress’s free bus travel promise.
On Sunday, state Congress working president Satish Jarkiholi said that while some guarantees will be available to all, others may be given only to deserving beneficiaries. “We will implement our pre-poll guarantees in all earnest. However, it is neither possible nor feasible to give these benefits to all,” he said at a public meeting in Bailur near Kittur.
Launching a fresh attack on the Congress on Monday, Bommai said: “The Congress promised people ‘free for all’ schemes during the elections, but now they are making different statements. Even the in-principle order said that it is free for all. Now they are giving different statements. The Congress says something and does something else,” he said.
Siddaramaiah had earlier said that the government would have to spend almost ₹50,000 crore annually to fulfil the guarantees. “I’m confident we can implement the schemes without pushing the state into bankruptcy. We plan to cut down on wasteful expenditures and decrease the loan amount. I don’t think our government can’t raise the amount,” he said, adding that the government was paying ₹56,000 crore annually as interest on loans and that they would be able to raise ₹50,000 crore for the schemes.