TUMAKURU: Congress seems to be in a hurry to popularise its proposed family-oriented schemes among households, before the ruling BJP starts its door-to-door campaign. The Grand Old Party, which has been making a flurry of poll promises, is indicating that it would bank heavily on these schemes to strike a chord with families before the April/May Assembly polls.
Over the last few days, it has promised 200 units of free electricity, Rs 150 for students studying between classes 1 and 5, and Rs 300 for students from classes six to ten and Rs 2,000 every month to every woman head of the family under the ‘Gruhalakshmi’ scheme. This is not it, the opposition party will come up with more such announcements as the polls near, sources said. To have sufficient time to drive home these schemes and the time-tested strategy to win over voters, Congress is revealing its manifesto much ahead of its official release.
It is an apparent move to counter the BJP government’s election-oriented and ‘populist’ budget that will be presented by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on February 17.
“We want the campaigning to take off mouth to mouth before BJP leaders start falsely claiming that these schemes would be funded through central grants. Such statements did the rounds when then chief minister Siddaramaiah launched the popular Annabhagya rice distribution scheme,” KPCC manifesto committee chairman Dr G Parameshwara told party workers at a preliminary meeting he held ahead of the party’s Praja Dhwani bus yatra, which arrives here on January 24.
He recalled that the anti-incumbency factor against then ruling parties helped Congress win majority in 1989 and 1999 under the leadership of Veerendra Patil and SM Krishna. It will work again this year as the ruling BJP in the state is facing a similar situation. “In Vidhana Soudha, every pillar shouts out 40 per cent commission. We should focus our campaign around this. If Congress fails to come to power this time, the future will be bleak for us and people of the state,” he warned.
Confusion
In the Tumakuru City Assembly constituency, businessman Attica Babu is trying to be the Congress nominee. Babu first tried for a ticket from JDS, but senior party leader HD Kumaraswamy had already announced Govindaraju’s name.
“He has got a line to Parameshwara and KPCC president DK Shivakumar through Tumakuru JDS MLA DC Gowrishankar. He wants to join the party during the Praja Dhwani Yatra,” sources said. But local leaders, especially from the minority community, have been divided over Babu joining the party, while others are not ready to accept him as he is an outsider, they added.