Vijayanagara (Karnataka) [India], May 20 : Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said that the Congress government has kept its promises and will continue to work for the people.
Addressing the gathering in Vijayanagara in Samarpane Sankalpa Rally, Siddaramaiah said, "Two years ago, we made many promises to the people. Our election manifesto had 593 promises. So far, we have completed 242 of them, and we will fulfil the rest in the next three years."
He said the Congress government also launched five major guarantee schemes to help all sections of society. "As soon as we came to power on May 20 last year, we implemented Shakti Yojana. Then came Griha Jyoti, Annabhagya, Griha Lakshmi, and Yuva Nidhi. We gave five schemes in one year and delivered what we promised," he said.
Siddaramaiah added that in 2013, the Congress had fulfilled 158 out of 165 promises and introduced 30 new programs, making a total of 208. "We do what we say," he said.
Taking a dig at the BJP, he claimed they made 600 promises in 2018 but did not fulfil even 10 per cent of them. "This is the difference between us and the BJP. They lie all the time. Let them come and debate with us on what we have done and what they have done," he said.
He also accused the BJP of trying to create divisions between castes, while the Congress works for unity and humanity.
In the same gathering, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi asserted that the Karnataka government would provide ownership rights to one lakh families of the state.
Addressing the gathering in Vijayanagara, the Congress leader said that whoever owns land in Karnataka must also have ownership rights.
"I got to know that a lot of people in Karnataka own lands, but they do not have their ownership rights...People from all communities were involved in this. They did not have property or ownership rights; they did not get any facilities from the Government...I raised this issue with the senior members of the party, and I told them that whoever owns land in Karnataka must have ownership rights too...Today, the Karnataka Government is going to provide ownership rights to one lakh families of the state," Rahul Gandhi said.
He further said that unlike the BJP, the Congress model ensured that employment continues to be created."In the BJP model, if you fall ill, you get drowned in debt. In the Congress model, if you fall ill, you have money in your pocket for treatment. In the BJP model, people have to pay lakhs of rupees to private schools, colleges and universities. In the Congress model, we give you money," Rahul Gandhi said.
He further highlighted the Congress party's promises and said that the Congress government of Karnataka deposits money in the accounts of crores of women.
"It has been two years since the Congress Government was formed in Karnataka. We promised to provide five guarantees during the election. BJP and PM Modi said that Congress will not fulfil the guarantees. Our first guarantee was to provide Rs 2,000 every month to one crore women under the Griha Lakshmi scheme. The Karnataka Government provides this money to the accounts of crores of women," Gandhi said."Our second guarantee was to provide 200 units of free electricity to crores of families under the Griha Jyoti scheme. Third guarantee- Anna Bhagya Yojana: 10 kg of grain to 4 crore people. Today, crores of families in Karnataka get food grains through this scheme. Fourth Guarantee- Shakti Yojana: Free bus travel facility for women. Approximately 500 crore bus trips have been provided free by the Karnataka government. Fifth Guarantee- Yuva Nidhi Yojana: Congress government gives Rs 3,000 every month to 3 lakh youth of the state," the Leader of Opposition said.
He further said that the poor people of the state are going to benefit from the Congress' guarantees.
"In the 21st century, digital registry (of land) should be done...The poor people of the state are going to benefit from our guarantees...I also said that there are 50,000 families who still do not have ownership rights. We want that in the next six months, they should also get their ownership rights. 2,000 revenue villages have been announced. We want 500 more revenue villages to be announced. Everyone in Karnataka should get their ownership rights," the LoP said.