Karnataka Minister Satish Jarkiholi calls for review of ''guarantees'' of Cong govt., sparks debate
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister Satish Jarkiholi on Wednesday said the guarantee schemes need to be reviewed so that only the economically weaker sections, and not the rich, benefit from them, sparking a debate on the ambitious programmes launched by the Congress government.
Jarkiholi said the state exchequer will be able to save at least Rs 10,000 crore annually by excluding the rich from the schemes, which were pre-poll promises of the party.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had, while presenting the state budget earlier this year, announced that Rs. 52,000 crore has been set aside for the five guarantee schemes during 2024-25.
“Through the five guarantee schemes, we are putting Rs 52,000 crore in the hands of crores (millions) of people… an average of Rs 50,000 to Rs 55,000 is transferred to each family every year through these guarantee schemes,” Siddaramaiah had said.
Speaking to reporters here, Jarkiholi said: “I am not saying that they (guarantees) should be stopped. People are saying that these guarantees should be given to the poor and not the rich people. This is being discussed in hotels, among workers and everywhere."
"Even the opposition is asking, 'Why are you giving to the rich?' Give it to the poor,” the Public Works Minister said.
The government has implemented five guarantees – free ride for Karnataka women in non-luxury government buses under ‘Shakti’ scheme, free electricity up to 200 units for domestic consumers under 'Gruha Jyoti', 'Yuva Nidhi' for unemployed graduates and diploma holders offering Rs 3,000 and Rs 1,500 a month for two years, 'Gruha Lakshmi' scheme which gives Rs 2,000 to women head of the BPL families and 'Anna Bhagya' scheme offering 10 kg of free food grains to each BPL (Below Poverty Line) family member.
On whether revising the schemes would have a bearing on the popularity of the government, Jarkiholi said: “Who is scrapping them (guarantees)? We are not stopping it. It cannot be done outright. There is a Cabinet and legislative party. These decisions have to be taken at that level, not at my level. Party has to decide.”
Minister for Large and Medium Industries and Infrastructure M B Patil said these guarantees are the Congress party’s commitment and hence they will be continued.
He, however, supported the idea of giving the benefit of these guarantees only to the BPL families and not others.
“We have 82 per cent BPL families in the state. The objective is that the BPL families should get the benefit. There is a thinking going on for quite a long time like what is the point in people like M B Patil taking benefits of it,” Patil told reporters in his constituency Babaleshwar in Vijayapura district.
Stating that there was a need to have a comprehensive review of the guarantees, the Minister said the state government will take appropriate steps at an appropriate time.
Home Minister G Parameshwara declined to comment saying that his opinion was not important for such discussions and decisions are taken in the Cabinet meeting.
“If we go on taking views of individuals then it will not have any meaning. It should be decided in the Cabinet. If we talk outside then it will create confusion,” Parameshwara said.
The opposition BJP latched onto Jarkiholi’s statement.
BJP state chief B Y Vijayendra said the state government is "unable to take the burden of 'freebies' as it has no money to do it."
“In this background, it should not be surprising if the Congress leaders, who have raised objections against the guarantees through the Ministers, not only try to curtail these guarantees, but stop them altogether,” he said in a post on ‘X’.
Leader of the opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka said these five guarantees were bound to meet "such a fate" as they were introduced by the Congress government without “guaranteeing financial resources.”
A section of Congress MLAs has said in recent times that because of the guarantees, there is a funds crunch for taking up development works in their constituencies.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
