HALIYAL (UTTARA KANNADA DISTRICT): A day after allegedly mocking the five guarantee schemes of the state government, senior Congress leader and chairman of the Administration Reforms Commission, RV Deshpande, on Monday said he did not speak against the schemes, but appreciated them.
At an event in Dandeli on Sunday, he told the audience, “You get Rs 2,000. It is a lottery for all of you. Whenever a husband speaks something, she display Rs 2,000 given by the government. What kind of God (Paramatma) is Siddaramaiah? Buses are free for women. You go to Dharwad, Belagavi and Saudatti Yelamma.
What about men? They have nothing and nothing to do. You used to get 5 kilos of rice per person, now it has been increased to 10 kg. Take it and sell it. Now there will be Indira kit. You will get dal, oil and coconut. Which cooking oil you will get? Groundnut or coconut?”
Even as people were laughing, he said, “What all Siddaramaiah is giving you, we ourselves don’t know. We stay close to him, but we are unaware of what he is planning. He is doing magic. If I was a chief minister, I would have never given so much. His welfare schemes are indeed very helpful to the poor. He is giving everything.”
On Monday, he issued a statement saying, “I appreciated the five guarantee schemes. Siddaramaiah is an experienced leader and has brought these schemes with a concern for the poor people. My words have been misunderstood.”
It is learnt that Siddaramaiah called up Deshpande after news reports appeared about his comments on the guarantee schemes. Deshpande reportedly denied the reports and told the CM that he will come to Bengaluru and give an explanation. Deshpande, known to be a close friend of Siddaramaiah, was already on his way to Bengaluru on Monday.
