<p>Congress on Sunday slammed the BJP for bribing voters ahead of elections on a day Prime Minister Narendra Modi was set to launch the government’s marquee initiative PM-KISAN, an income support scheme for farmers.</p>.<p>“Today is the 'Cash for Vote' day. The BJP government will officially give a bribe of Rs 2000 per agricultural family to get their votes,” former Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said on Twitter.</p>.<p>Modi is set to launch the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) at a function in Gorakhpur on Sunday with the transfer of the first of the three annual instalments of Rs 2000 to about two crore farmers.</p>.<p>“The money will go to the cultivating farmer as well as the absentee landlord,” Chidambaram said.</p>.<p>“Nothing can be more shameful in a democracy than 'Bribe for Votes'. The greater shame is that the Election Commission is unable to stop the 'Bribe for Votes',” he said.</p>.<p>Congress President Rahul Gandhi had also announced a Minimum Income Guarantee scheme for the poor which is expected to be the flagship initiative if the party is voted to power.</p>.<p>The PM-KISAN initiative was announced in the Interim Budget, with the government announcing that the scheme will be implemented with retrospective effect from December.</p>.<p>Under the PM-KISAN scheme, the government had proposed to give Rs 6,000 per year in three instalments to 12 crore small and marginal farmers holding cultivable land up to two hectares.</p>.<p>While the BJP had hailed the initiative as a “political masterstroke”, Congress has been critical of the scheme dismissing it as an attempt to bribe voters ahead of elections.</p>
<p>Congress on Sunday slammed the BJP for bribing voters ahead of elections on a day Prime Minister Narendra Modi was set to launch the government’s marquee initiative PM-KISAN, an income support scheme for farmers.</p>.<p>“Today is the 'Cash for Vote' day. The BJP government will officially give a bribe of Rs 2000 per agricultural family to get their votes,” former Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said on Twitter.</p>.<p>Modi is set to launch the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) at a function in Gorakhpur on Sunday with the transfer of the first of the three annual instalments of Rs 2000 to about two crore farmers.</p>.<p>“The money will go to the cultivating farmer as well as the absentee landlord,” Chidambaram said.</p>.<p>“Nothing can be more shameful in a democracy than 'Bribe for Votes'. The greater shame is that the Election Commission is unable to stop the 'Bribe for Votes',” he said.</p>.<p>Congress President Rahul Gandhi had also announced a Minimum Income Guarantee scheme for the poor which is expected to be the flagship initiative if the party is voted to power.</p>.<p>The PM-KISAN initiative was announced in the Interim Budget, with the government announcing that the scheme will be implemented with retrospective effect from December.</p>.<p>Under the PM-KISAN scheme, the government had proposed to give Rs 6,000 per year in three instalments to 12 crore small and marginal farmers holding cultivable land up to two hectares.</p>.<p>While the BJP had hailed the initiative as a “political masterstroke”, Congress has been critical of the scheme dismissing it as an attempt to bribe voters ahead of elections.</p>
