The success and effective implementation of the guarantee schemes have caused discomfort to BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and that’s why the State is being denied its rightful share of grants from the Centre, Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs and Legislation H.K. Patil has said.
Speaking to presspersons in Hubballi on Monday, Mr. Patil said that the Union government has meted out injustice to the State while allocating grants. What is even worse is that the allocated grants for tourism have not been released yet, he said.
“Guarantee schemes are being looked at with jealousy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi says giving freebies is detrimental to the nation. He, however, fails to say that it will not be detrimental when loans of the rich are waived. Is it a problem if the poor receive benefits?” he asked.
Mr. Patil said that while the State government has taken steps to bring the poor families out of poverty, the Union government has pushed them further down through wrong policies and programmes. Now that the elections are near, they are resorting to reducing LPG prices after having troubled the common people for long, he said.
Taking exception to the one nation, one election concept mooted now, Mr. Patil said that if at all Mr. Modi wants to do it in a proper manner, he should have appointed a person with no political affiliation and not the former President Ramnath Kovind to head the committee. The Minister said that it seems like it is another ploy to create confusion and any attempt to postpone elections will not be tolerated by the Congress and the people, he said.
On the statement made by BJP MLC Pradeep Shettar that Lingayat leaders are being sidelined in the BJP, he said that there might be some truth in it. He, however, clarified that Mr. Pradeep Shettar has neither met him nor spoken to him. He also said that many BJP workers are inching towards the Congress because of the success of the guarantee schemes.
On the former Minister Basavaraj Rayaraddi’s statement, he said that the government is responsive and it will respond positively to the letter sent by him.
