As Congress govt completes 100 days in office, BJP lists "100 failures" of Siddaramaiah regime
Bengaluru, Aug 29: The opposition BJP in Karnataka on Tuesday brought out a booklet on the ''100 failures'' of the state government, which has just completed 100 days in office, in fulfilling its promises.
The party also charged the Congress government with pursuing politics of vengeance, while also alleging glaring financial indiscipline has resulted in delayed salaries to a section of the government employees.
When asked to comment on the BJP ''charge-sheet'' (booklet), Chief Minister Siddaramaiah hit out at the J P Nadda-led party asking: ''What moral right they have? They were drowned in corruption during their tenure.''
Siddaramaiah denied that his government is targeting the previous BJP government. He said the Congress, when it was in the opposition, had demanded a probe into alleged scams during the BJP regime like ''Police Sub-Inspector recruitment scandal'' and ''40 per cent commission charge'' but they were not investigated.
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The Congress government has now ordered probe into such scams which it had demanded when it was in the opposition, the Chief Minister said.
Former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, state BJP President Nalin Kumar Kateel and former Minister Govind Karjol released a booklet titled 'Kai Kotta Yojanegalu-Hali Tappida Adalita' (washing hands of schemes-Derailed Administration) explaining the '100 failures' of the Siddaramaiah government.
The Siddaramaiah government, which assumed office on May 20, has betrayed people by not fulfilling its promises, Kateel alleged at a press conference.
He said that before coming to power, the Congress had announced five 'guarantees' (pre-poll promises) and made ''speeches on corruption''. However, by putting conditions on these guarantees later, the government has backtracked from its promises, Kateel said.
Kateel alleged there are two ministers facing corruption charges but the government did not take any action against them.
According to him, investors are also moving out of the state due to inadequate power supply. ''There is drought in the state. There were no rains due to which farmers are forced to block roads. The farmers are staring at power outage. The government did not announce any pro-farmer scheme,'' Kateel said.
The BJP leader explained that Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi under which Rs 6,000 is credited into the account of farmers every year.
When Bommai was the Chief Minister, he decided to add Rs 4,000 more from the state government to the Central scheme. This way, farmers were getting Rs 10,000 every year, he added.
''The Congress today has curtailed the scheme. This is an anti-farmer government. Corruption has spread its tentacles from Panchayat office to the CM office,'' Kateel charged. ''More than anything, this government is pursuing the politics of vengeance. It is jailing those writing anything on social media against it. There is a sort of emergency here,'' he alleged.
Addressing reporters, Bommai said the government has failed in financial discipline.
''We had presented a surplus budget in February this year but when they (Congress government) came to power, they borrowed Rs 8,000 crore. They have increased taxes exorbitantly,'' the former CM claimed.
According to him, there were repercussions of the financial indiscipline.
''There is a delay in the salaries paid to government employees. Many board and corporation employees are not getting their full salaries. This government did not construct even a kilometre road after coming to power be it rural roads, national highways or state highways. Not a single km road they built,'' Bommai charged.
He also alleged that during the previous stint of Siddaramaiah as Chief Minister from 2013 to 2018, more than 4,500 farmers died by suicide. ''Now again the trends are showing up''.
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UDF leaders see local body poll trends as pointer to 2026 Assembly elections in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Buoyed by the strong performance of the Congress-led UDF in the local body polls, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said on Saturday that the front's results indicated the people had rejected the LDF government.
According to early trends, the UDF was leading in more grama panchayats, block panchayats, municipalities and corporations than the LDF.
The local body polls were held in two phases in the state earlier this week.
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Speaking to reporters here, Joseph said the people of Kerala had extended their support to the UDF.
"We could expose the LDF government’s anti-people stance and the people understood it. The LDF’s fake propaganda was rejected by the people. The UDF is moving towards a historic victory," he said.
He said a united effort, proper preparations, good candidate selection and hard work had resulted in the Congress and the UDF’s victory in the elections.
Asked about the prospects in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Joseph said the party was studying the matter and would comment later.
LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan said the results would be closely examined.
According to him, the government had done everything possible for the people.
"Why such a verdict happened will be examined at the micro level. People’s opinion will be considered and further steps will be taken," he said.
He added that decisions would be taken after analysing the results. "If any corrective measures are required, we will initiate them and move forward," he said.
AICC leader K C Venugopal said the results showed that people had begun ousting those who, he alleged, were responsible for the loss of gold at Lord Ayyappa’s temple.
"This trend will continue in the Assembly elections as well. It is an indication that the people are ready to bring down the LDF government," he said.
Venugopal said the UDF had registered victories even in CPI(M) and LDF strongholds.
"I congratulate all UDF workers for their hard work. Congress workers and leaders worked unitedly," he said.
Referring to remarks made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan against the Congress on polling day, Venugopal said the voters had responded through the verdict.
"I do not know whether the chief minister understands that the people are against him. Otherwise, he does not know the sentiment of the people. The state government cannot move an inch further," he said.
He said the results indicated a strong comeback for the UDF in Kerala.
Asked whether the Sabarimala gold loss issue had affected the LDF in the local polls, Venugopal said the CM and the CPI(M) state secretary did not take the issue seriously.
"We took a strong stand on the matter. The BJP played a foul game in it," he alleged.
On the BJP's role in the local body elections, Venugopal alleged that the party operated with the CPI(M) 's tacit support.
"The CPI(M) supported the central government on issues such as PM-SHRI, labour codes and corruption in national highway construction. The CPI(M) is facing ideological decline, and the state government’s policies are against the party’s own decisions," he said.
Meanwhile, LDF ally Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K Mani said the party could not win all the wards it had expected in the elections.
He congratulated winners from all parties and said the party would closely examine the losses and identify shortcomings. "Later, we will take corrective measures," he added.
Senior Congress leader and MP Rajmohan Unnithan said the trends in the local body elections indicated that the UDF would return to power in the 2026 Assembly elections.
"We will win 111 seats as in 1977 and return to power in 2026. The anti-government sentiment of the people is reflected in the elections," he said.
Unnithan said the people were disturbed and unhappy with the present government.
"The trend indicates the end of the LDF government," he added.
CPI(M) MLA M M Mani said the people had shown ingratitude towards the LDF despite benefiting from welfare schemes.
"After receiving all welfare schemes and living comfortably, people voted against us due to some temporary sentiments. Is that not ingratitude," he asked.
Mani said no such welfare initiatives had taken place in Kerala earlier.
"People are receiving pensions and have enough to eat. Even after getting all this, they voted against us. This is what can be called ingratitude," he said.
Muslim League state president Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said the results were beyond expectations.
"The outcome points towards the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, indicating that a change of government is imminent. We are going to win the Assembly election," he said.
