From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Mysuru, Apr 20: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has strongly defended the Congress party’s full page advertisement in newspapers saying BJP did nothing except give “Chombu” (empty vessel) as it failed to implement its promises in the State as well as Centre.

Speaking to media persons in Mysuru on Saturday, he said the BJP governments in the State under B S Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai have completely forgotten their promises to the people and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 10-year rule in the country has not delivered on any of the promises.

“Both Yediyurappa and Bommai have failed to implement BJP promise on farm loan waiver and had the audacity to dismiss the demands saying the State Government does not have note printing machines, while Modi regime failed to deliver on ushering in Achche Din, doubling income of farmers, creating 2 crore jobs annually and crediting Rs 15 lakh into the bank accounts of the citizens,” he said and dismissed the criticism against the advertisement and claimed that the advertisement speaks the truth.

Siddaramaiah said BJP people find it offensive when their failures are brought to the notice of the people. “What did the BJP do when the State has been facing injustice from the Centre?” he asked.

The Chief Minister defended the advertisement and said it is an honest exercise of holding the mirror to the BJP leaders, especially when Modi is visiting the State seeking votes while doing nothing with respect of releasing funds for drought relief or approvals to State’s projects besides injustice in the devolution of funds by the Centre.

Siddaramaiah said the State’s exchequer has not been emptied under the Congress rule. “The BJP including the Prime Minister, Home Minister Amit Shah and others claimed that the implementation of the Congress guarantees will lead to bankruptcy,” and contended that nothing has happened during the last one year after implementing the guarantees.

“We walk the talk and deliver on our promises unlike BJP, which has done nothing except give a Chombu,” he claimed.

The Chief Minister said the JDS has become irrelevant and must be dissolved as it has virtually merged itself with BJP and the word secular in the name of JDS is meaningless. “If JDS is such a strong force, why did JDS supremo H D Deve Gowda’s son-in-law and Kumaraswmy’s brother in law is contesting on BJP ticket and symbol and the Deve Gowda is seeking votes for BJP candidates in the State,” he asked.

He challenged the Prime Minister to explain to the people as to how many of the promises of BJP in 2014 and 2019 are fulfilled and why the State is denied the drought relief funds.

“The BJP poll promise of the grandiose scheme of Surya Ghar Muft Bijli is a completely false promise as there is nothing free in the scheme, which had been announced in last year’s budget itself. Under the scheme, the poor families have to spend Rs 50,000 for the 1 kw solar rooftop panel and out of this 40% has to be bore by the family by raising loan from the bank. So what is free in this<” he wanted to know.

The Chief Minister said the BJP promise of establishing All India Medical Sciences Institute (AIMS) model institutions in each State was promised in 2014 and Karnataka is yet to get one in the last 10 years and wherever the new AIMS institutions have been set up, they are not functioning properly.

The promise of extending Ayushman Bharat facility to all individuals above 70 years is another hoax and the irregularities in its implementation have already been flagged by the CAG. Similarly, the promise to create 3 core lakpati didis is another fraud as none of the women in Karnataka have received any benefits.

The BJP promises to encourage women-centric sports but the women wrestlers were forced to throw their precious medals in the Ganges River due to sexual abuses by BJP MP Brij Bhushan Singh. The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana are total failures, he said pointing out that BJP’s promise to revise National Minimum Wage every year is another fraud as Modi regime increased its by Rs 41 in the last 10 years unlike the UPA regime which increased its Rs 66 to Rs137. But the BJP raised it to Rs 176 in 2017 and to Rs 178 in 2019 and did not increase even a rupee in the five years since 2019.