Team effort led to Cong victory in K'taka, will implement '5 guarantees' come what may: Shivakumar
Bengaluru, May 31: Crediting the "team effort" of Congress leaders and workers for the party's victory in Karnataka, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said the government is fully committed to fulfil the five guarantees and will implement the 'Gruha Lakshmi' scheme within a month to grant Rs 2,000 to every woman head of a family.
He termed the fight put up by the Congress as a "battle for survival" and said for him personally it was a "do-or-die battle".
In an exclusive interview to 'The Week', he also said, "Of course, it is quite natural. Blood is thicker than water. But we have to (compromise). Sometimes politics is full of sharing and caring," when asked whether the Vokkaliga community was upset when he was not made the chief minister.
On the Congress' poll promises, he said, "We are going to implement it (the guarantees), come what may. We have a cabinet meeting on June 1. Arranging about Rs 20,000 crore to Rs 26,000 crore will not be a problem. We will work on arranging the remaining Rs 30,000 crore."
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"Whatever we have promised, we will definitely deliver. We will come out with a plan within the first week of June. We are already speaking to the officials to work out a system," he also said on the implementation of the 'Gruha Lakshmi' scheme.
Shivakumar said the family has to decide to whom the money should go through direct benefit transfer - wife or mother, and should provide details of their bank accounts for which officers have to be delegated to visit every house.
Asked how long will it take to implement the scheme, he said, "We will implement it in a month. We will announce it and whatever delay, we will come out with a (solution)."
He said some people have written to the government that they do not wish to receive the money, but will not bar anyone from taking it. "We do not want to bar anyone. We promised them. If they want, let them take it."
The Karnataka Congress chief said the "karyakartas" (party cadres) are the party's roots and we should see that we strengthen them. "The voice of the cadre should be the voice of the leadership. This is what I look for. And, I have had 50 per cent success; 50 per cent is yet to be done. I will try to do my best."
He said the primary reason for the BJP's defeat was that it could not deliver what it had promised. He said the stalwarts from the state who have ruled in the previous years had built Karnataka's brand name and that was being dismantled by the BJP.
On him taking on the BJP despite cases against him, he said, "It is not only me; it is a team effort. No doubt I stood strongly. And I was ready to face everything. There was no choice. I had to fight this battle for survival. I knew that Karnataka would be the opening for the entire country. It was a do-or-die battle for me. Ultimately, I could do it (deliver Karnataka)."
Shivakumar said Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra helped bring in enthusiasm in the party and people walked with him.
Asked whether he was happy with his current position, he said, "Whether I am happy or not is not important. I will be happy when we deliver a government with good governance, when we keep our promises, when we fulfil the aspirations of the people. Individual things will disappear. The confidence that the people of Karnataka have restored in us is very, very important. We should keep (it). I will be the happiest when all my promises have been delivered."
Shivakumar said he would not want to disclose what has been decided between the party high command and him and between Siddaramaiah and him on sharing of power.
"I will not disclose it. Ultimately, we have come to some understanding."
On Siddaramaiah becoming the chief minister within eight years of joining the Congress, he said, "he is definitely a lucky man".
Asked whether the Congress will ban the Bajrang Dal, he said if anyone tries to disturb the peace through moral policing, they cannot as there is the law of the land.
"There is the Constitution here. We have to protect the Constitution. Is it right for a police officer to wear saffron and take a photograph? The image of a police officer in Karnataka is high. But this time I think even the (former) chief minister encouraged it. We asked who was destroying peace."
He also skirted a question on whether beef will come back to Karnataka, saying he does not want to get into that controversy. "Let me focus on development, our promises."
On his vision for Karnataka in the next five years, the Karnataka Congress strongman said, "My vision is to bring back the glory that Karnataka had; to give a corruption-free, transparent government, a government with good governance. This is our vision. Bengaluru is a top priority. If Bengaluru gets proper attention, funds will come, and the same funds can be transferred to the rural areas. This is what we are looking at."
He also assured that the Congress government will investigate the previous government's corruption and said, "We have already assured the people that we will investigate."
Asked whether the BJP will attempt Operation Lotus again, he said, "Let them recover from this defeat first. The entire double engine was here. What all they could do, they have done. Ultimately, my numbers never reduced, my confidence level never reduced. Our planning did not change."
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Delhi Polls: BJP faces protest, placates MLA amid resentment over ticket distribution
New Delhi, Jan 12: Resentment surfaced in the BJP on Sunday over ticket distribution for Delhi Assembly polls, with a protest held outside its Delhi unit office and an angry outburst by the outgoing MLA from Karawal Nagar who was not included in the candidate list released a day earlier.
As MLA Mohan Singh Bisht threatened to revolt after being denied a ticket from Karawal Nagar, the party rushed to control the damage and announced his candidature from the Mustafabad seat this evening.
A group of protesters from Tughlakabad in South Delhi held a dharna at the gate of the Delhi BJP office, demanding a change in the candidate from the constituency.
"Vikram Bidhuri Tum Sangharsh Karo; Modi Se Bair Nahi, Rohtas Teri Khair Nahi," the protesters, including mostly youngsters, chanted as the party leaders tried to pacify them.
In the second list of BJP candidates for the polls declared on Saturday, Rohtas Bidhuri was fielded from the Tughlakabad seat. In 2020 Assembly polls, Vikram Bidhuri who is a relative of senior party leader Ramesh Bidhuri, lost to AAP's Sahiram by over 13,000 votes.
A similar protest was also held by some party workers outside the Delhi BJP office against Mehrauli candidate Gajainder Yadav after the announcement of the first list of candidates earlier this month.
Bisht, the senior-most BJP MLA in the outgoing Assembly elected five times from Karawal Nagar, openly expressed unhappiness over being denied the ticket to contest from his stronghold.
A senior party leader said he was pacified after a meeting with BJP chief JP Nadda.
Bisht, after getting the ticket from Mustafabad, expressed confidence that he would win the seat for the BJP.
"I met the national president and things were ironed out. I have assured that I will contest from Mustafabad and win the seat for the party," Bisht told PTI.
The MLA said he and the BJP had considerable support in Mustafabad and he has already attended two public meetings there.
The BJP won the Mustafabad seat, having a significant minority community presence, in the 2015 Assembly polls but lost it to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2020.
Earlier in the day, Bisht told PTI that the party's decision to replace him with Kapil Mishra was "wrong" and its consequences will be visible after voting on February 5.
"You have challenged the 'samaj' (his Uttarakhandi community), not Mohan Singh Bisht. The BJP will lose at least 8-10 seats because of this decision, including Karawal Nagar, Burari, Mustafabad and Gokalpuri," Bisht warned.
The BJP fielded Kapil Mishra, a Hindutva hardliner, from Karwal Nagar in North East Delhi, which was rocked by massive communal violence just after the 2020 Assembly polls.
Sources in the party claimed that there was also "deep resentment" among the Delhi BJP's Scheduled Castes Morcha leaders over being denied tickets from different constituencies including Madipur and Kondli.
A top Delhi BJP functionary stressed that there are many ticket aspirants, so it is natural for those who did not get selected to feel disappointed.
"The BJP is a disciplined party and its leaders understand this. Sooner or later, everyone will realise this and work for the victory of the party giving up their resentment," he said.
The elections to 70 Assembly seats in Delhi are scheduled on February 5. Results will be out after the counting of votes on February 8.
The BJP, out of power in Delhi since 1998, is making all-out efforts to return to power. In the 2015 and 2020 Assembly polls, the party was completely routed by the AAP, scraping through with just three and eight seats, respectively.
