Former MLA Yathindra Siddaramaiah on Saturday lashed out at the BJP government at the Centre and dubbed its administration as worst than the British rule.
Speaking at an election campaign at Ramnahalli in Chamundeshwari assembly segment of Mysuru Lok Sabha constituency, Mr. Yathindra said the gap between the rich and the poor has widened under 10 years of BJP rule. This is because the policies of the BJP was pro-rich and anti-poor, he added.
While the BJP had failed to announce a loan waiver for farmers, it had written off thousands of crores of rupees of loan availed by the industrialists besides lowering corporate taxes, said Mr. Yathindra.
The Congress was pursuing pro-poor policies and cited the successful implementation of the five guarantee schemes within months of the party assuming power in Karnataka, Mr. Yathindra said and claimed that it has benefited crores of people. By electing the Congress at the Centre the benefits to the public will double as a slew of guarantee schemes have been announced by the All India Congress Committee, he added.
Just as the Congress in the State has fulfilled its promises, so will the party fulfil all the promises if voted to power and will benefit the public, said Mr. Yathindra.
He sought to strike a contrast with the BJP and said that though Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to create two crore jobs, curb black money, double farmers income, none of them have been fulfilled.
The Congress highlighted the Nyay schemes released by the AICC to woo the voters and said that in addition to ₹2000 per month being distributed to the women of every household, there will be additional income by way of ₹100,000 per annum from the Centre if the Congress was voted to power, said Mr. Yathindra.
He said while the Congress had fulfilled 158 out of 165 promises made during the 2013 elections, the BJP in State had announced nearly 600 promises. Though it was in power for about 3.5 years, not even a fraction of them were fulfilled, he added.
The Congress candidate M. Lakshman spoke on similar lines and said that he was a commoner who could be easily approached and belonged to a party which had fulfilled all the promises made in the run up to the Assembly elections.
The Congress campaign covered Naganahalli, Siddalingapura, Ramnahalli, Kalisiddanahundi, Hanchya, Alanahalli, and Hosahundi.
