Rahul Gandhi promises Rs one cr per village panchayat, Rs 5,000 cr for Kalyana Karnataka region
Jevargi/Ballari, Apr 28: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday promised allocation of Rs one crore for each village panchayat, and Rs 5,000 crore for the Kalyana Karnataka region if his party is voted to power in the May 10 State Assembly polls.
The former Congress chief also promised to set up an apparel park in Ballari with an investment of Rs 5,000 crore.
Amid rains, he addressed an election rally at Jevargi in Kalaburagi district, where he promised to fill 50,000 government job vacancies.
"We will allocate Rs 5,000 crore for this region. Each village panchayat will get Rs one crore," a drenched Gandhi said.
The Kalyana Karnataka region comprises the districts of Bidar, Yadgir, Raichur, Koppal, Kalaburagi, Ballari and Vijayanagara.
At Ballari, it was his promise to set up an apparel park and not that of the Congress, he said, adding that he would ensure that the district became the number one jeans hub' in the world.
"This is my promise to make Ballari a jeans capital'. I want to see the day when whoever wears jeans will have Made in Ballari' written on it," Gandhi said.
Criticising the ruling party, he said Ballari was at the centre of the 40 per cent theft' and the "amount of theft BJP did in Ballari, no one else would have ever done here".
"This theft caused enormous loss to the people of Ballari. Now the major change will happen here. Not just in elections but in your life," Gandhi added.
He also made a 'prophecy' that the ruling BJP would get only 40 seats "since it loves this number".
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Gandhi alleged that BJP ministers in Karnataka collected 40 per cent commission for public works from contractors and, hence, the party would not get more than 40 seats, while the Congress would win 150 seats and form the next government.
Calling the incumbent BJP government "a government by theft", he said the ruling party had purchased MLAs from opposition ranks.
"We are going to form the government. No one can stop our party from coming to power," Gandhi said.
He also reiterated the four key "guarantees" of the Congress: Rs 2,000 to woman head of families, 200 units of free power to every household, Rs 3,000 to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders (both in the age group of 18 to 25 years) for two years, and 10 kg rice to every member of a BPL family a month.
Apart from this, Gandhi also announced the party's fifth "guarantee" on Thursday free bus ride for women in public transport buses.
From Bellary to Bengaluru, the people of Karnataka have spoken and their message is loud and clear - Congress is back and here to stay with 150+ seats!
— Indian Youth Congress (@IYC) April 28, 2023
Scenes from Shri @RahulGandhi‘s roadshow and public meeting at Bellary today. pic.twitter.com/TMewKPUD3k
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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.
ALSO READ: Cong candidate who moved Kerala HC for name reinstatement in voter list, wins
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.
