Karnataka BJP does a UP

​Dharwad: Taking a leaf out of its Uttar Pradesh state election manifesto, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka announced that it would waive off farmer loans of up to Rs 1 lakh taken from various institutions, including nationalised banks.

The BJP continued its focus on the farming community, not just to earn the backing of one of the biggest support bases but also reinstate its chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa’s image as a pro-farmer leader.

“Crop loan waiver up to Rs1 lakh, including all loans from nationalised banks and cooperatives, in our first cabinet meeting for the benefit of our Annadaatas,” the BJP said in its 64-page manifesto, released by its party president Yeddyurappa in Bengaluru on Friday.

With less than two weeks to go for the Karnataka Assembly elections, BJP’s decision to announce a farm loan waiver was aimed at taking the wind out of Congress’ Rs 8,165 crore farm loan waiver last year and other assurances made in its exhaustive manifesto that was released in two versions, one for the state and one region wise. 

For all three parties, farmers have been the primary focus, besides women and youngsters. The two national parties, the BJP and Congress, are doing all they can to win in Karnataka, one of the last big elections before the 2019 polls. Karnataka also stands in the way of BJP’s Congress Mukt Bharat agenda as it is one the last states still under the party’s rule. 

Karnataka has turned into a fierce contest with the entire central leadership of both parties campaigning extensively in the state over the last few weeks hoping to win support from key constituents, including the farming community—a fraternity that accounts for over 60% of the state’s total population.

Though it is yet to be seen if the promise of farm loan waiver will deliver results similar to UP, the decision to announce a farm loan waiver has been criticised by the Congress in Karnataka. The BJP-led Central government had refused to entertain the Siddaramaiah government’s request to waive of farm loans taken from the nationalised banks, which the Congress had used to target the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led union government as ‘anti-farmer’.

UP had waived off over Rs 36,000 crore farm loans after it came to power in the north Indian state last year. Continuing its focus on farmers, the BJP announced ‘Negilayogi Yojane’ to provide direct income support of Rs 10,000 to 20 lakh dry land and marginal farmers. “Rs 5000 crore ‘Raitha Bandhu Market Intervention Fund’ to support farmers during price fluctuations,” the BJP announced. Keeping in tune with BJP’s obsession with bovine politics, Yeddyurappa said he would reintroduce Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Preservation Bill 2012.         

The BJP has also announced ‘Mukya Mantri Smartphone Yojane’ to provide free smartphones to women from below poverty line (BPL) families and free laptops to every student enrolling in a college. The party also announced free sanitary napkins to women from below poverty line (BPL) and girl students and at Rs 1 to other women under the new ‘Stree Suvidha Scheme’. The BJP announced three-gram gold thaali (mangalsutra) and Rs 25000 for marriage of women falling under the BPL category under ‘Vivaha Mangala Yojane’.

The BJP has accused the Siddaramaiah government of misusing state machinery, failing law and order situation and weakening the Lokayukta, the anti-corruption watchdog. The BJP assured to restore the office of the Lokayukta to its full efficacy in its first cabinet meeting itself. It also assured to enact the Karnataka whistleblower Act and release a ‘white paper’ within 100 days of forming the government on the fiscal health of the state to highlight the mismanagement of the five-year Congress rule.