Beware of Congress facade of guarantees: Karnataka BJP leader

Hyderabad: Senior Karnataka BJP leader and former KSRTC chairman Dr Chandrappa said here on Tuesday that the six-month-old Congress government in Karnataka would fall on its own with brewing bickerings and group politics within the government.

Addressing the media, Dr. Chandrappa said he has come to Telangana to warn people about how the Congress has cheated people of Karnataka, with its facade of gurnatees to come to power. The Congress is playing similar tricks to come to power by fooling people of Telangana. Similarly, the BRS has backstabbed people for 10 years.

He said the Congress had promised to provide 10 kg rice, Rs 3,000 for women, free power up to 200 units, and unemployment allowance to youth. CM Siddharamaiah had come to Telangana and boosted about guarantees and their delivery in that State. He said the government failed to deliver on its 10 kg rice and is now offering Rs 170 instead, when a kg rice costs around Rs 60 in State.

He said of the three crore women in Karnataka, only 10 per cent were given Rs 3,000 in the last six months. The government did not deliver on its free power promise. But the tariff was increased; people are struggling to cope with cuts. Besides, farmers were worst hit as they were not getting power even for two hours, adversely affecting banana, betel nut and other plantations. The duty on liquor was increased to boost revenue from earlier Rs 26,000 crore to Rs 36,000 crore; the duty was increased by 100 per cent, but, the government has no money to take up public works anywhere in state, he pointed out.

Terming the financial situation of Karnataka precarious, he claimed that Siddharamaiah had shunned an MLA who went for sanction of Rs 10 lakh work in his constituency exposed the sorry state of affairs. But tenders were called for Rs 1,000 crore work in his segment sanctioned during the BJP government, he added.

The BJP government had spent over Rs 1 lakh crore for filling water bodies, Rs 1 lakh crore on development of roads. Farmers are given power for about 5-6 hours a day. The Congress government turned everything topsy-turvy within six months. There is large discontent towards the government.