Congress leader and MP Rahul Gandhi distributed digital cards of the Gruha Lakshmi scheme to beneficiaries at the launch of the scheme in Mysuru on Wednesday. Minister H C Mahadevappa, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, the party’s general secretary K C Venugopal and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar are seen.
Credit: DH Photo/Anup Ragh T
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah claimed on Wednesday that no other government in the state had fulfilled all its promises within 100 days of coming to power.
He was giving a report card of his government while addressing the gathering at the launch of the 'Gruha Lakshmi' scheme here.
"We have kept our word and will implement all promises in our manifesto. The fourth guarantee 'Yuva Nidhi' too will be launched by December or January. Besides allotting funds for regular programmes in all sectors including PWD, irrigation, housing and drinking water, Rs 56,000 crore has been allotted to guarantee schemes. The BJP leaders alleged that the state will become bankrupt, if the guarantee schemes are implemented. The truth is before the people now. Our government is pro-poor, it will stand by Dalits, farmers, workers, youth and all sections of the society," Siddaramaiah said.
The chief minister said, "Of the 1.26 crore families in the state, women of 1.1 crore families have registered under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme. Every year, each woman head of a household will get Rs 24,000. Nowhere in the country, such a huge benefit is given to women to help them tackle price rise."
We have report cards of all key Cong leaders: Kharge
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that the party had the report card of each of its prominent leaders.
He was speaking at the launch of the Gruha Lakshmi scheme.
He said, "We have report cards of each Congress leader, including Jawaherlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh. Yet, BJP leaders don't stop asking what Congress has done. They indulge in criticism as they have no report cards of their own".
Prime Minister Narendra Modi should have appreciated Karnataka's guarantee schemes, instead of criticising it, at a time when all other states are approaching the Congress to help replicate the schemes.
"People should fight to save the Constitution and democracy by keeping some people away from power. Or else, people will go back to pre-Independence era," he said.
Kharge said, "All airports, ports, institutions, including AIIMs, IITs, are our contributions. The BJP picks our old programmes, paints them and inaugurates them."
"B R Ambedkar and Nehru gave the Constitution. We advanced the age of voting from 21 to 18 years. Rajiv Gandhi introduced reservation for women in panchayats and municipal bodies. We introduced Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme. Sonia Gandhi was instrumental in enacting Food security Act," Kharge said.