Praising All-India Congress Committee president M. Mallikarjun Kharge for his persistent efforts to get special status to Kalyana Karnataka, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said: “Mr. Kharge gifted the special provision under Article 371(J) to the Kalyana Karnataka region 10 years ago and again today the State government had lit the lamp to empower the families through the Gruha Jyothi programme.”
He was addressing a gathering at the launch of the Gruha Jyothi scheme in Kalaburagi on Saturday.
Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP leaders for criticising the five guarantee schemes of the Congress government and for alleging that the schemes will make the State financially bankrupt if implemented, Mr. Shivakumar said that the Union government had written off lakhs of crores of bank loans of big industrialists. “Won’t that hit the India’s economy or cause bankruptcy?”
He reiterated that people across the country were hailing the guarantee schemes. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K.Stalin and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have said that pressure is mounting on them to launch free guarantee schemes in their States.
Accusing the previous BJP government in Karnataka of failing to deliver such a pro-people scheme, Mr. Shivakumar said that these five guarantee schemes are aimed at bringing financial security and stability.
Energy Minister K.J. George said that the Gruha Jyothi scheme was aimed at alleviating the burden of electricity expenses on the poorer sections of society.
Mr. George said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during his Bharat Jodo Yatra had connected with people from all walks of life across the country, and realized their sufferings owing to unemployment and inflation. Therefore the Congress had announced the five guarantees and implemented the schemes soon after forming the government in the State, Mr. George added.
Mr. George appealed to the people of Kalyana Karnataka region to vote for the Congress in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
