From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Mysuru, Aug 30: Barely eight months ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha polls and to coincide with Siddaramaiah government’s completion of 100 days in power after the assembly polls, Karnataka launched its most ambitious Gruha Lakshmi guarantee scheme as promised to mark the Congress party’s strong bid to win women voters.

Under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, the woman heads of all families will be paid a sum of Rs 2,000 per month under the Direct Benefit Transfer facility into their Aadhaar-linked bank accounts.

Addressing a massive gathering of people, especially women and girls, including college students, in the presence of AICC chief Mallikarjuna Kharge and Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi and other dignitaries at the Maharaj College grounds in Mysuru on Wednesday, the Chief Minister threw a direct challenge to BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had said the Congress Guarantees would bankrupt the State, and asserted that Karnataka has not gone bankrupt and the people, especially the women are very happy.

"We have delivered on our polls promises and walked the talk unlike the BJP, which has completely forgotten the party’s poll promises in the State or in Delhi,’’ Siddaramaiah said and pointed out that the Congress government has disproved all the charges of BJP, which had dismissed the guarantees as 'fake guarantees'.

The chief minister said: “People now know who is fake and ‘Feku’ and who the real and genuine persons are. We have not forgotten our promises and have implemented them without losing any time.’’

“The Congress is a party dedicated to the serve the people, the poor and middle classes. Modi himself launched a tirade against the guarantees and termed it as Revdi Culture. Karnataka has not gone bankrupt and is a stable and thriving State,’’ he said and pointed out that crores of people are benefitting from the guarantees already benefited like Shakti, Gruhajyothi and Anna Bhagya.

"Happy faces and women in large numbers travelling to different places under the Shakti scheme in the government buses every day is a standing estimony to the popularity of the government and its guarantees,’’ he said.

Siddaramaiah said as many as 48.5 crore women have travelled in the government buses at free cost within the last 100 days and claimed that such a massive pro-women programme has not been launched so far. The women have saved the money on bus travel while all households are availing the free electricity up to 200 units per month and the poor are supplied free rice under Anna Bhagya scheme.

The entire programme at the Maharaja College grounds was a massive sea of women and girls, most of whom were dressed in pink. It was a rare scene to see women and workers from neighbouring Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and even Kerala assembling at the venue on their own through different organisations. The decorations and buntings were also in pink and the dais was also decorated in pink. The crowds started pouring in at Maharaja College grounds from early morning.

Women volunteers tied pink Rakhees to Rahul Gandhi on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan and a beaming Rahul told the crowds that he is happy to be treated as brother, who has kept the polls promises. "I am grateful to the love and affection of the people,’’ he said.

The State Information Department has brought out a booklet to mark the 100 days Congress rule in the State, and cover of the booklet was also in pink.