Congress and ‘Bolka pathhar’

 

The joint manifesto of Congress and Sharad Pawar’s NCP and UBT for the assembly elections has been released recently. The manifesto is full of promises to the voters. Congress had rained promises and announcements, in the Lok Sabha elections and before that in Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Telangana assembly elections, in the same way. Congress came into power in Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Telangana. After evaluating the fulfillment of promises made by congress after coming to power, the deceit behind these promises is clearly understood.

The Mahayuti government announced the Ladaki Bahin Yojana and even deposited three installments of this scheme in the accounts of the beneficiary women. The leaders of Maha Vikas Aghadi are extremely worried after seeing the overwhelming response to this scheme given by the common women. Attempts were made to obstruct the path of this scheme in different ways, attempts were made to discredit this scheme. Blabbermouths of Maha Vikas Aghadi criticized the plan with statements like ‘The Mahayuti government is giving alms to women’.

Let us take a brief look at the promises made by the Congress in its manifesto and its current status in the states of Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Telangana. In Himachal Pradesh elections, the Congress had promised to implement the old pension scheme for state government employees, allowance of Rs 1,500 per month to women, Rs 80 to Rs 100 per litre to milk producers, license for taxi drivers for 15 years and start mobile health centers. Considering the financial condition of the state, Bharatiya Janata Party did not promise to implement the old pension scheme. Given the large number of retired state government employees in Himachal Pradesh, the Congress obviously benefited from the promises regarding the old pension scheme.

The Congress could not fulfill its promises regarding the old pension scheme after coming to power. As the financial condition of Himachal Pradesh government is very bad, there is a situation where the state government employees are not even getting their monthly salary regularly.

The Congress could not even fulfill the promise of Rs 80 to Rs 100 per litre given to the milk producers. Milk producers there are getting Rs 45-55 per litre. Even the announcement of a 15-year taxi license could not be fulfilled. Congress announcement to give Rs 1500 per month to women also vanished in thin air. The congress gave one more misleading promise to common citizens in Himachal Pradesh. The promise was to provide 300 units of free electricity per month to domestic electricity consumers. It has been 2 years since Congress came to power. Still Congress has not been able to fulfill its promise of free electricity. Himachal Pradesh treasury is in such a bad state that Himachal Pradesh government had to announce that no allowance of any kind will be paid to the members of the State Cabinet for two months, MLAs will not be paid salaries, and no expenditure will be made from state treasury on ministers and MLAs.

In Karnataka, the Congress had promised to provide 10 kg of free rice per month to the common people under the Anna Bhagya Yojana. The farmers of Karnataka were promised 8 hours of guaranteed electricity every day, Anganwadi workers were promised Rs 15,000 per month along with other promises. Even after a year and a half in power, the Siddaramaiah government in Karnataka has not been able to fulfill these promises.

In Telangana, the Congress in its manifesto had promised to provide 6 free gas cylinders per year to the poor under Mahalakshmi Yojana, 200 units of free electricity per month to scheduled caste farmers, implement minimum support price for 17 crops, waive off farmer’s loans up to 2 lakhs, livelihood allowance of Rs 3000 per month to unemployed youth, etc.

Out of this, the scheme to provide 6 gas cylinders every year has not started yet. An Announcement of giving 200 units of free electricity per month to scheduled caste farmers has also not been fulfilled. Effigies of Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy were burnt in Telangana for not fulfilling the crop loan waiver announcement. In Telangana, people are facing the crisis of load shedding.

The brother-sister duo Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi had promised to deposit 8 thousand 500 rupees per month i.e. 1 lakh per year in the women’s account from June 5 (from the next day of the results) if the Congress candidate was elected in the Lok Sabha elections. A guarantee card was also printed for that.

The common voters instantly trusted this guarantee card as their name and other information was systematically filled on this card. After the verdict, photos showing Muslim women queuing in front of the Congress office were also published. Money has not been deposited in the account of even a single poor woman as promised by Rahul Gandhi.

The Siddaramaiah government is having a really tough time while fulfilling its promises in Karnataka. In the meantime, reports were published that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge considering this experience has advised the Congress leaders of Maharashtra to make only those promises which can be fulfilled. A few years ago, advertisements of stones for the ring were published under the name; Bolka Patthar; i.e. talking stone. It was said that wearing this 20 rupee stone in your finger ring will eliminate all the troubles in your life. Fascinated by these advertisements, many people bought this stone.

The promises of the Congress manifesto are like this talking stone only. In the 1971 Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi’s grandmother, Indira Gandhi’s promise was ‘Garibi Hatao’. Believing in it, the Indian voters brought the Congress to power under the leadership of Indira Gandhi with a huge majority in the 1971 elections.

For many years, Congress has a habit of deceiving voters by making promises for many years. There is no doubt that today’s voter will keep this talking stone of Congress away.

 

(Article Pre-Published in Times of India Online – 11 November  2024)

Keshav Upadhye, Chief Spokesperson