Proud of Karnataka guarantee model: D K Shivakumar changes tune day after Kharge rap over Shakti scheme revision remark

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge yesterday pulled up the Karnataka Deputy CM over his statements on revisiting the Shakti scheme -- free bus travel for women -- in the state.

A day after Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge pulled up Karnataka Deputy CM D K Shivakumar over his statements on revisiting the Shakti scheme -- which offers free bus travel to women in the state -- Siddaramaiah's deputy has changed his tune.

"Karnataka guarantee model is a model for the entire country. BJP and other parties are also adopting it and we are proud that we could implement that and we could deliver that. The people of Karnataka and the country are very happy with our model," ANI reported DKS say in Bengaluru on Friday, which marks Karnataka Rajyotsava.

Kharge, yesterday, at a Congress event had said that based on the Karnataka guarantees, he'd also made similar guarantees in Maharashtra, and had chided the Deputy CM for his statements saying that it gave the opposition a chance to criticise them, even as Siddaramaiah tried to bat for his number two.

DKS had earlier said the scheme would be revisited as many women travellers wanted to pay, but CM Siddaramaiah issued a clarification to the contrary, yesterday.

The Shakti scheme was the first Congress guarantee to be rolled out after they came to power in Karnataka.