Daijiworld Media Network – Karwar
Karwar, Oct 13: In a surprising and sarcastic outburst, senior Congress MLA R V Deshpande mocked the very guarantee schemes introduced by his own party's government, including those championed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. His comments, made during a public event in Dandeli, Uttara Kannada district, left the audience laughing — but have also raised eyebrows within political circles.
Speaking at the event, Deshpande, who represents Haliyal constituency, said, “Are the schemes brought by our Congress government just one or two? The government has implemented several schemes for the poor. Women have been given Rs 2,000, and due to the free bus travel scheme, you now see only women everywhere in buses.”
Taking a swipe at the current public transport situation, he quipped, “The condition of government buses — better not to speak about it. Whether you go on a bus or to a temple, it’s only women everywhere. It’s hard to even find four men travelling together in a government bus nowadays. If I were the chief minister, I wouldn’t have implemented any of these schemes.”
His remarks triggered loud laughter among those present at the gathering.
Continuing his satirical tone, Deshpande said, “All these schemes — like Gruha Lakshmi, Gruha Jyothi, Anna Bhagya — have been introduced by Siddaramaiah. Under Anna Bhagya, they’re giving 10 kg of rice free. Since the additional 5 kg of rice couldn’t be provided, they’ve now decided to give Indira food kits instead. They're also planning to distribute groceries including toor dal. Let’s just start buying and selling it ourselves (like shopkeepers)!,” he said sarcastically, drawing more laughter from the crowd.
Taking a final jab, Deshpande added, “I don’t even know what all Siddaramaiah is doing. In fact, none of us know. We’re quite close to him, and yet we don’t understand what he’s up to.”
Deshpande’s comments — laced with sarcasm and laughter — have added fuel to the ongoing debate around the sustainability and execution of the Congress government’s guarantee schemes. While supporters laughed off his remarks, political observers are questioning whether this signals deeper dissent or frustration within the party ranks.