The ruling Indian National Congress (INC) party looks like having stumbled in implementing the poll promises and guarantees made at the time of the Karnataka Assembly elections 2023. Perhaps, in its hurry to come to power hook or crook the party managers never ever thought of the later consequences in the event of assuming the driver's seat.
Not all promises can be fulfilled: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah himself admitted on the floor of the house that all promises are not meant to be implemented. He also claimed to assure what not before the polls but it doesn't mean that all the promises need to be fulfilled! By admitting that he proved all tall talk before any polls are only for public consumption and not for implementation.
A look at the five guarantees: Let us have a glance at the five guarantees made by the ruling party before the polls:
*200 Units of Free Power supply.
*Rs 2,000/- every month to the woman head of the family.
*10 kg of Free rice to all members of a BPL family.
*Rs 3,000/- a month for unemployed Degree holders and Rs 1,500/- a month for Diploma holders for two years.
*Free Bus rides for women in state government undertaking buses.
Other poll promises:
The Congress party had committed to increasing reservations for SCs from 15% to 17%, for STs from 3% to 7%, restoring minority reservations to 4% and increasing reservations for Lingayats, Vokkaligas and other communities and pursuing inclusion in the 9th Schedule of the Constitution.
Revoking cases against those involved in communal riots: Although the Siddaramaiah-led new dispensation took its own sweet time in implementing the much tom tomed five guarantees it wasted no time in revoking cases including the criminal ones across the state. Surprisingly and shockingly many cases of communal riots were also withdrawn giving a hint of the possible administration later. Among these included the ones about the communal clashes following the torching and burning down of Pulikeshinagar Congress MLA Akhanda Sreenivasmurthy's residence.
Reopening of age-old cases: The Congress government also stooped too low to the extent of reopening a few cases filed against the Karsevaks in connection with the Ram Janma Bhoomi movement of 1992. Srikanth Pujari, then a youth and now a quinquagenarian was embarrassed by being arrested. He was granted bail later by the local civil court. But what appears paradoxical is the claim of Home Minister Dr G Parameshwar that it was a routine matter per the instructions of the courts. Similar initiatives were also evinced elsewhere in the state.
Free mass feeding stalled: Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses started witnessing overpacked trips as women folks felt like making use of the free ride facility. Due to the change in the situation, the hitherto by and large empty buses during the day turned up to become overpacked. Men, who had to cough for the travel were at the receiving end for not getting seats and were forced to struggle to even stand properly. Most of the pilgrimage centres which were known for feeding the devotees for free had to stop doing so after a certain point in the day. This measure became inevitable as the huge rush of pilgrims and more so women never looked like stopping day and night. Men commuters continue to curse the Congress party government and have started regretting having chosen the party to rule.
Canards galore: Thanks to the Congress party coming to power, social networking sites have transformed into a powerful weapon to unleash canards spitting poison against the majority of Hindus for all flimsy reasons. Ms Madhu, a government school teacher in Belagavi confessed-"These days it has become even more difficult to converse gently with the pedlars' of the minority community selling vegetables and fruits".
Farming economy goes for a toss: Once the five guarantees started seeing the light of day, slowly the farming economy started to crumble like never before. It became difficult to find workers for the tasks needing urgent attention in the fields as there were no takers for them. Small and medium farmers are undergoing a horrible time sowing, maintaining and reaping the crops as the daily wages have started to shoot up. SG Govindappa, a hardworking farmer of Shravandanahally in Madhugiri Taluk of Tumakuru district exclaimed-"If freebies like these keep continuing no sooner there will be a day wherein forget growing food grains, an ordinary farmer will have to bid adieu to even regular farming".
DCM seeks withdrawal of riot cases: Ever since the Congress party assumed power in the state, there has been a systematic strategy to hoodwink the law of the land and benefit the troublemongers to appease a section of the society for electoral gains. Mysuru Congress MLA Tanveer Sait wrote to the Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara for a relook at the arrests made after the 2020 Bengaluru riots. Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar had written to the Additional Director General of Police, seeking the withdrawal of the 2022 Hubballi riot cases.
Protest before the police station: It may be recalled here that a riot took place before the Hubballi police station on 16 April 2022 followed by a posting of a graphic photo on WhatsApp depicting a saffron flag atop a mosque. In no time thousands of Muslims mobbed the police station resulting in violence while the cops had to register 12 FIRs' and arrest 158 individuals involved in the riots. Although seven juvenile offenders including All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) corporator Nazir Honya were released on bail, the remaining 151 accused have been holed up in Ballari and Kalaburagi jails. Though the police had arrested one Abhishek, for posting the WhatsApp status, the mob frenzy crowd pelted stones at the police station, hospital, temple and even houses.
12 ministers sent recommendations: Dr G Parameshwar, Home Minister had then informed of 12 ministerial colleagues who had made their recommendations about different cases and pleading withdrawal as the innocents were wrongly framed. At the same time, he had also clarified that "there is a procedure in place while a cabinet sub-committee will go through the proposals depending upon the merits which will be checked by the Home Department".
Controversy on the transfer of land: Siddaramaiah-led Congress party government got embroiled in another major controversy when it transferred prime land in Bengaluru to the Minority Welfare Department for the construction of Maulana Azad/Moraraji Desai schools. The land originally donated by Muthoji Rai Sindia for a veterinary hospital in 1936 has been utilized by the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department. Now on the eve of Lok Sabha polls and in an attempt to appease the minority community the Congress party government has gone out of the way to woo its vote bank.
-Manohar Yadavatti
A look at the five guarantees: Let us have a glance at the five guarantees made by the ruling party before the polls:
*200 Units of Free Power supply.
*Rs 2,000/- every month to the woman head of the family.
*10 kg of Free rice to all members of a BPL family.
*Rs 3,000/- a month for unemployed Degree holders and Rs 1,500/- a month for Diploma holders for two years.
*Free Bus rides for women in state government undertaking buses.
Other poll promises:
The Congress party had committed to increasing reservations for SCs from 15% to 17%, for STs from 3% to 7%, restoring minority reservations to 4% and increasing reservations for Lingayats, Vokkaligas and other communities and pursuing inclusion in the 9th Schedule of the Constitution.
Revoking cases against those involved in communal riots: Although the Siddaramaiah-led new dispensation took its own sweet time in implementing the much tom tomed five guarantees it wasted no time in revoking cases including the criminal ones across the state. Surprisingly and shockingly many cases of communal riots were also withdrawn giving a hint of the possible administration later. Among these included the ones about the communal clashes following the torching and burning down of Pulikeshinagar Congress MLA Akhanda Sreenivasmurthy's residence.
Reopening of age-old cases: The Congress government also stooped too low to the extent of reopening a few cases filed against the Karsevaks in connection with the Ram Janma Bhoomi movement of 1992. Srikanth Pujari, then a youth and now a quinquagenarian was embarrassed by being arrested. He was granted bail later by the local civil court. But what appears paradoxical is the claim of Home Minister Dr G Parameshwar that it was a routine matter per the instructions of the courts. Similar initiatives were also evinced elsewhere in the state.
Free mass feeding stalled: Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses started witnessing overpacked trips as women folks felt like making use of the free ride facility. Due to the change in the situation, the hitherto by and large empty buses during the day turned up to become overpacked. Men, who had to cough for the travel were at the receiving end for not getting seats and were forced to struggle to even stand properly. Most of the pilgrimage centres which were known for feeding the devotees for free had to stop doing so after a certain point in the day. This measure became inevitable as the huge rush of pilgrims and more so women never looked like stopping day and night. Men commuters continue to curse the Congress party government and have started regretting having chosen the party to rule.
Canards galore: Thanks to the Congress party coming to power, social networking sites have transformed into a powerful weapon to unleash canards spitting poison against the majority of Hindus for all flimsy reasons. Ms Madhu, a government school teacher in Belagavi confessed-"These days it has become even more difficult to converse gently with the pedlars' of the minority community selling vegetables and fruits".
Farming economy goes for a toss: Once the five guarantees started seeing the light of day, slowly the farming economy started to crumble like never before. It became difficult to find workers for the tasks needing urgent attention in the fields as there were no takers for them. Small and medium farmers are undergoing a horrible time sowing, maintaining and reaping the crops as the daily wages have started to shoot up. SG Govindappa, a hardworking farmer of Shravandanahally in Madhugiri Taluk of Tumakuru district exclaimed-"If freebies like these keep continuing no sooner there will be a day wherein forget growing food grains, an ordinary farmer will have to bid adieu to even regular farming".
DCM seeks withdrawal of riot cases: Ever since the Congress party assumed power in the state, there has been a systematic strategy to hoodwink the law of the land and benefit the troublemongers to appease a section of the society for electoral gains. Mysuru Congress MLA Tanveer Sait wrote to the Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara for a relook at the arrests made after the 2020 Bengaluru riots. Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar had written to the Additional Director General of Police, seeking the withdrawal of the 2022 Hubballi riot cases.
Protest before the police station: It may be recalled here that a riot took place before the Hubballi police station on 16 April 2022 followed by a posting of a graphic photo on WhatsApp depicting a saffron flag atop a mosque. In no time thousands of Muslims mobbed the police station resulting in violence while the cops had to register 12 FIRs' and arrest 158 individuals involved in the riots. Although seven juvenile offenders including All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) corporator Nazir Honya were released on bail, the remaining 151 accused have been holed up in Ballari and Kalaburagi jails. Though the police had arrested one Abhishek, for posting the WhatsApp status, the mob frenzy crowd pelted stones at the police station, hospital, temple and even houses.
12 ministers sent recommendations: Dr G Parameshwar, Home Minister had then informed of 12 ministerial colleagues who had made their recommendations about different cases and pleading withdrawal as the innocents were wrongly framed. At the same time, he had also clarified that "there is a procedure in place while a cabinet sub-committee will go through the proposals depending upon the merits which will be checked by the Home Department".
Controversy on the transfer of land: Siddaramaiah-led Congress party government got embroiled in another major controversy when it transferred prime land in Bengaluru to the Minority Welfare Department for the construction of Maulana Azad/Moraraji Desai schools. The land originally donated by Muthoji Rai Sindia for a veterinary hospital in 1936 has been utilized by the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department. Now on the eve of Lok Sabha polls and in an attempt to appease the minority community the Congress party government has gone out of the way to woo its vote bank.
-Manohar Yadavatti
Courtesy: The Organiser English Weekly Magazine
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