Cong. govt. denying guarantee schemes to beneficiaries on flimsy grounds, alleges Vijayendra

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State president B.Y. Vijayendra has accused the Congress government in Karnataka of systematically denying people the benefits of its guarantee schemes with flimsy excuses.

Speaking to reporters here on Monday, Mr. Vijayendra said that ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections, the Congress promised the Gruhalakshmi scheme to all women in the State. However, after coming to power, the party imposed restrictions on the number of beneficiaries, he said, alleging that the government has now initiated another exercise to further prune the list of eligible women.

“It is the duty of the State government to implement the guarantee schemes in the manner it had assured the people,” Mr. Vijayendra asserted.

He demanded that the government make the State’s financial position transparent. He recalled that the BJP had earlier urged the previous Chief Minister to release a white paper on the State’s finances and expressed hope that the current Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar would do the same.

Pointing to the Congress-ruled States, Mr. Vijayendra said both Telangana and Himachal Pradesh are struggling to fulfil their poll guarantees. “Those governments are unable to pay salaries to their employees. The situation in Karnataka is no better,” he remarked.

Reacting to Mr. Shivakumar’s recent remarks on curbing corruption, Mr. Vijayendra said the Congress has a long history of corruption, making such statements from its leaders sound hollow. “The people of the State will find it hilarious,” he added.