Shifting gears in its campaign against the BJP government ahead of Assembly elections, Congress is launching a ‘knock-the-door’ programme in Karnataka to visit all households from February 16 and presenting a ‘guarantee card’ for its promises.
The party plans to field all its leaders and workers for the campaign, which it expects to conclude by March 10, to talk about its promises of 200 units of free electricity and Rs 2,000 a month to female heads of families once they are elected to power.
They will also distribute a charge sheet against the Bommai government.
The mass contact programme is a follow-up to the three ‘yatras’ undertaken by state Congress president D K Shivakumar, Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah and Legislative Council Leader of Opposition B K Hariprasad. The party had earlier launched campaigns ‘40% government’ and ‘PayCM’, which leaders claimed have struck a chord with voters.
"We will be presenting a guarantee card signed by the PCC president and the CLP leader to families, promising that we will fulfil whatever we have offered, during the campaign," Congress General Secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Surjewala told DH.
The party believes that a signed assurance from its top leaders in the state will be taken as a serious commitment by the people and can blunt the campaign by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on freebies. Congress leaders said their promises did not fall under freebies.
Congress is also using reports of BJP’s plans to announce Rs 2,000 per month to families in the below poverty line (BPL) category to attack the ruling party.
"This is a copycat scheme. We want to know whether Bommai consulted the Prime Minister on this. This will blow up in the face of the Prime Minister. If this is correct, why are they not implementing this scheme in other BJP-ruled states like Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra among others," Surjewala said.
He also asked why the subsidies on fuel are being "drastically" cut when it could have arrested the price rise.
"What is meant to cushion high prices have been reduced. In 2013-14, our fuel subsidy bill was Rs 1.47 lakh crore and now it has been reduced to Rs 2,257.09 crore in the latest budget," he said.