Karnataka: Rahul Gandhi promises Rs 1 crore to each village panchayat

Jevargi: 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.

Amid rains, the former Congress chief addressed an election rally, where he also 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 here in Kalaburagi district.

The Kalyana Karnataka region comprises the districts of Bidar, Yadgir, Raichur, Koppal, Kalaburagi, Ballari and Vijayanagara.

He also made a 'prophecy' that the ruling BJP would get only 40 seats "since it loves this number". Gandhi alleged that the 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 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 family, 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.