New Delhi: The Congress on Monday took potshots at BJP Karnataka’s 2023 poll manifesto saying the assurance was “bogus” as the saffron party had failed to keep 90 percent of the promises made in 2018.
“It is appalling how even as 90 percent of BJP’s 2018 Karnataka manifesto promises remain unfulfilled the CryPMPayCM 40 percent commission government has released another bogus manifesto,” Congress social media chief Supriya Shrinate said.
The Congress also questioned the Karnataka BJP’s poll promise of 3 LPG cylinders free in a year, saying the Modi government at the Centre had tripled the price of domestic cooking gas over the past nine years and the people were fed up with inflation.
The grand old party further pointed out that the BJP had made a similar promise of 2 free LPG cylinders in a year in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh polls and 3 free LPG cylinders in a year in the last year’s Goa assembly polls, but backtracked later.
“The people of Karnataka should know that the promise of 3 free LPG cylinders of BJP Karnataka is going to be a jumla. The Goa chief minister had promised it in Goa and backtracked. Fake promise is in the DNA of the BJP,” Goa Congress chief Amit Patkar, who is campaigning in Karnataka, said.
According to Congress spokesperson Prof Gourav Vallabh, it made no sense if the Centre first increases the LPG price significantly and the Karnataka government offers just 3 free cylinders in a year.
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“The revenue impact of BJP’s 3 cylinders free in a year works out to Rs 3,300 per annum at the current price of Rs 1,100 per LPG cylinder. If this is compared with the Congress guarantee of Rs 2,000 per month for women in Karnataka, it works out to Rs 24,000 per annum,” Prof Vallabh told ETV Bharat. Explaining further, Prof Vallabh said that, “Rs 3,300 works out to be 13.75 percent of Rs 24,000. I predict that the Congress will get 140 seats while the BJP will get less than 40 seats.”
Making a comparison, the Congress leader said while the grand old party had offered 10 kg of rice free per person per month to BPL families, the BJP was offering only 5 kg. He claimed the 6.5 lakh Kannadiga voters will opt for the Congress guarantees including free power up to 200 units, Rs 2000 for women to deal with price rise, free bus travel for women, and Rs 3000 unemployment allowance to graduates.
On the BJP Karnataka’s promise of bringing in a local version of the Uniform Civil Code, Prof Vallabh said such promises are made by the BJP during elections but dropped after coming to power. “The BJP does it only to polarise the polls. Why is UCC not implemented in Madhya Pradesh,” he said. “The Modi government tripled the price of LPG cylinders in the last 9 years. In the last election in UP, the BJP promised 2 free cylinders in a year. Today in Karnataka, the JhootLoot BJP Moneyfesto has promised 3 free cylinders in a year. People are fed up with price rise, BJP’s lies and their bogus julmas! On May 10, it is the Congress’ guarantee that people of Karnataka will vote out the BJP,” Congress communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh said.
