Cong betrayed people by making promises which remain unfulfilled: CM Bommai
Gadag (Karnataka): Chief Minister of Karnataka Basavaraj Bommai on Monday accused the Congress of betraying people by saying that the grand old party is known for making tall promises but poor in delivering them.
The previous Congress government had announced seven kg rice per head and reduced the offer to four kg within a few days, but the truth is that only four kg was distributed for three years of their five-year tenure, Bommai said addressing an election rally here.
He added that the rice quantity was raised to seven kg when just one year was left for the General Assembly election.
Bommai said the same goes with the Congress party's promise of distributing houses for the poor. Referring to former chief minister Siddaramaiah's allegation that BJP government had not distributed even a single house, Bommai said the senior Congress leader is misleading the people.
"Congress has betrayed people. It makes tall promises but is poor in delivering them. They built castles in the air by promising to build 15 lakh homes for poor people three months before the previous election without making any financial allocation," Bommai said.
He told the crowd that the BJP government has not only provided funds for the housing scheme but also started work on the construction.
He further said he has approved the construction of five lakh houses and instructed the officials to ensure that they are completed well before the general Assembly election in 2023.
The Chief Minister also listed many welfare programs launched by his government.
According to him, there is healthy competition among various departments in taking up developmental works in rural areas. About 7,500 Stree Shakti Sangha have been provided a grant of Rs one lakh each and about 75,000 youth have been enrolled for various skill development programs to enable them to get jobs or become self-employed, Bommai added.
The Chief Minister was campaigning for the BJP candidate for the legislative council election for 25 seats in the State, which is scheduled to take place on December 10.
The BJP has fielded 20 candidates against the 25 seats.
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Ensure paid holiday for postal staff on polling day in Kerala: John Brittas writes to Scindia
New Delhi (PTI): CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas on Sunday wrote to Union Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia, seeking his urgent intervention to ensure that postal employees in Kerala are granted a statutory paid holiday on April 9 for the Assembly elections in the southern state.
In his letter, Brittas expressed serious concern over the Kerala Postal Circle’s instructions to treat all postal employees as “absentee voters in essential services (AVES)”, directing them to opt for a postal ballot within an “extremely limited” timeframe.
The Department of Posts operates under the Ministry of Communications. Along with the Department of Telecommunications, it is one of the two main sections within the ministry headed by Scindia.
In his letter, Brittas pointed out that the circular dated March 19 required the collection of Form 12D by March 20 (Eid al-Fitr), and submission of the compiled details at the respective collectorates by March 22 (Sunday), both holidays in Kerala, making meaningful compliance difficult and raising apprehensions about the “arbitrary” nature of the directions.
The CPI(M) leader also pointed out that the Election Commission, in a communication dated March 16, reiterated the requirement under Section 135B of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, that every person employed in any establishment and entitled to vote shall be granted a paid holiday on the polling day, without any deduction or abatement of wages.
He said even where certain services are treated as essential, the long-standing administrative practice has been to maintain only minimal required operations on polling day, without denying employees the opportunity to vote in person.
Brittas argued that in some other states going to polls this month, including Assam, most postal employees have been granted a holiday on polling day, in accordance with the statutory provisions.
During the 2021 Kerala polls, postal establishments had observed a holiday on polling day, subject only to limited essential arrangements, he claimed.
The present deviation, Brittas said, raises concerns about inconsistency in the application of law and the avoidable curtailment of the democratic rights of employees.
Stating that the right to vote lies at the core of India's democratic framework, Brittas urged Scindia to examine the matter urgently.
“Given the proximity of the polling date, I earnestly seek your kind indulgence to have the matter examined on priority, and to issue urgent directions to the postal authorities in Kerala to ensure that the statutory entitlement of postal employees in Kerala to a paid holiday on the day of polling is duly ensured,” Brittas said in the letter.
The 140 seats in the Kerala Assembly will go to polls on April 9, and the results will be out on May 4.
