Ex-K’taka CM Bommai slams Siddaramaiah govt for not rolling out Congress poll guarantees on first day

PTI, May 20, 2023, 8:51 PM IST

Bengaluru: Former Karnataka chief minister and BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday flayed the Congress for not fulfilling its five guarantees on the first day it assumed power in the state.

Newly sworn-in Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the Karnataka Cabinet led by him in its maiden meet today accorded ”in-principle” approval to implement the Congress party’s five guarantees and initial estimates indicate that it would cost the exchequer Rs 50,000 crore annually.

The first Cabinet meeting was held immediately after Siddaramaiah was sworn in as Chief Minister, and D K Shivakumar as Deputy Chief Minister along with eight MLAs as Ministers.

”It’s agreed upon. We will not go back (on the promises),” the Chief Minister said, adding, the assurances would be fulfilled notwithstanding financial implications, if any.

The assurances promised before the elections would ”most likely” be implemented after the next Cabinet meeting, he said addressing a press conference here.

The party’s five poll guarantees are 200 units of free power to all households (Gruha Jyoti), Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to the woman head of every family (Gruha Lakshmi), 10 kilograms of rice free to every member of a BPL household (Anna Bhagya), Rs 3,000 every month for unemployed graduate youth, Rs 1,500 for unemployed diploma holders (both in the age group of 18-25) for two years (YuvaNidhi), and free travel for women in public transport buses (Shakti).

Bommai said the people of Karnataka had high expectations from the new government but they were disappointed.

He alleged that these have turned out to be mere promises because the Congress did not study the beneficiaries, estimated expenditure, the conditions, and when to start these guarantees.

”The government says it will be implemented in the next cabinet meeting. We don’t know when it will be implemented, whether or not, in the next cabinet meeting. The real colours of this government will be known only after the orders are passed,” Bommai alleged.