Karnataka elections: Priyanka Gandhi attacks BJP govt on corruption

Mysuru: Accusing the BJP government in Karnataka of rampant corruption, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday alleged Rs 1.5 lakh crore has been "looted" from the state.

She also expressed confidence about Congress coming to power after the May 10 Assembly polls in Karnataka and taking the state on the path of development.

"What is most sad is the 40 per cent government commission that was there in the state looted you (public). They looted you without any shame," Vadra said while targeting the ruling BJP in the state at a public meeting in T. Narasipura of the district here.

Seeking to highlight various scams, contractors' dying by suicide, and the state contractors association even writing a letter to the Prime Minister alleging scams, she said, "But there was no action, as many of those involved were associated with the BJP. You might have read about Rs 8 crore seized (by Lokayukta) from the son of an MLA. Instead of action, the MLA was allowed to carry out a parade." "It is said Rs 1.5 lakh crore has been looted from Karnataka," she alleged, adding the money could have been used for a lot of developmental works in the state like AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences)-like hospitals, expressways, smart classrooms, metro, and affordable housing, which would have benefited the people.

AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala, former minister H C Mahadevappa, and MLA Yathindra Siddaramaiah among others were present.

Noting that this BJP government formed four years ago was not a government with the support of the people, Vadra said the electorate had given a mandate to the Congress and JD(S) in the 2018 polls, but BJP formed a government later by "buying MLAs from other parties".

"They have broken your promise from the start. Right from the beginning, the government is based on betrayal and greed...as a result, no work has been done in the last four years. In the last three to four years, the grants from the central government have been decreasing," she said.

Pointing out that there are lakhs of vacancies in the state government, the AICC General Secretary sought to know: "What does it mean that you are unemployed, even though these posts are vacant? Why is the government not giving you jobs? The government has broken promises it had made." Also hitting out at the state government on the issue of reservation, she said the decision to increase quota should be included in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution, but the current dispensation is not doing that. "They (BJP leaders) will come in front of you and give a speech about increasing reservation, but won't do the necessary work for increasing the reservation to implement it on the ground." Commenting on the Amul versus Nandini row, Vadra said the Congress will strengthen Karnataka's 'Nandini' brand, and no cooperative will come from outside.

Nandini is the pride of Karnataka and a conspiracy is on to try to destroy this cooperative, she alleged. "Earlier 99 lakh litres of milk (per day) was collected (by KMF of which Nandini is the brand), today only 70 lakh litres of milk is being produced. Deliberately it has been reduced, as part of a conspiracy hatched to introduce Gujarat's cooperative Amul to the state." "If you remember, the Ksheera Bhagya scheme was introduced during the Congress period to provide milk to school children in Karnataka as there was maximum milk production in the state then," she recalled.

Vadra later also interacted with women in Hanur town of nearby Chamarajanagar district. While leaving the venue, she spoke to a couple of women personally and tried to understand their issues.

Stating that a farmer on an average is earning Rs 27 per day, she alleged that Prime Minister's "businessman friend Adani" has been given several PSUs in the country, which actually produces jobs for youth.

"That one person per day is earning Rs 1,600 crore, while the farmer of this country earns only Rs 27," she claimed.

Highlighting Congress' "guarantees" — 200 units of free power to all households (Gruha Jyoti), Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to the woman head of every family (Gruha Lakshmi), 10 kilograms of rice free to every member of a BPL household (Anna Bhagya), and Rs 3,000 every month for graduate youth and Rs 1,500 for diploma holders (both in the age group of 18-25) for two years (YuvaNidhi), on coming to power in the state, Vadra said, her party is doing this as it understands the difficulty faced by the people.

She urged women voters not to take this election lightly, and said it is important for the future of their children and youth.

"Identify your right and importance of this election, don't fall into the words of any leader, but vote based on your experience....bringing in a government that makes you feel proud of your identity," she said, appealing people to vote for Congress that understands their needs.