'100 Days, 100 Failures' — BJP's Charge-Sheet Against The Congress In Karnataka

The state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday, 29 August, released a booklet highlighting the failures of the Congress government in Karnataka.

In the meeting, several BJP leaders including former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, state BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel, former minister Govind Karjol were present.

Apart from criticising the Congress for withholding the schemes announced by the BJP for the welfare of women, students, farmers and other backward classes, the leadership also alleged that the current government has 'put the progress work to a complete halt'.

'Congress Clueless, Corruption Rampant'

"The Congress government has completed 100 days. Instead of providing a road-map for the next five years, this government has turned directionless. Corruption and loot are rampant in all departments. The government has gone off track. The government is caught up in turmoil and has failed to manage finances", Bommai was quoted as saying, by The South First.

Bommai further stated that the government has become 'directionless'. He stated that the corruption under the current administration has been 'rampant'.

He mentioned that the BJP had presented a surplus budget earlier this year in February.

"The financial system has been derailed under this government. We presented a surplus budget, but this government has borrowed around Rs 8,000 crore. It increased taxes of around Rs 35,000 crore. In total, it has burdened the common people and the state with Rs 45,000 crore of additional taxes. They have mismanaged finances and increased the deficit by around Rs 12,000 crore", Bommai further stated.

He added that not even a single kilometre of road had been built after the Congress came to power and that the salaries of government employees had not been paid.

He further alleged that during the previous term of Siddaramaiah, between 2013 and 2018, more than 4,500 farmers committed suicide.

Raitha Vidyanidhi, Raitha Shakti, Jeevan Kyothi Yojana and several other schemes, according to Bommai, has been put to a halt by the Congress government in the state. According to Bommai, the funding for five mega hostels in the state which could have potentially accommodated thousands of students has been halted too.

He alleged that the assistant commissioner and the deputy commissioner postings are being "auctioned" by the government and the selling rate is around Rs 13 crore in a city like Bengaluru.

He said that the funds meant for welfare of SC/ST communities in the state are being used to implement their five freebies.

Commenting on the free electricity being provided to every household in Karnataka, Bommai took a dig at the government stating that the 'chest-thumping' will not last longer as the state's four thermal plants are not operating to their full capacity.

According to Bommai, the state does not have enough funds to purchase coal.

"The thermal plants are operating at only 40 to 60 per cent capacity. In many regions, the people are already complaining about poor electricity supply," he said.

'Emergency-Like Environment'

Furthermore, commenting on the free speech issue in Karnataka, state BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel said that "there is an emergency kind of environment" in the state.

Swarajya had reported earlier this month on the targeted profiling of Hindutva activists in the state after the Congress returning to power.

"The Siddaramaiah government is doing vendetta politics. The Hindu karyakartas are being targeted by putting fake cases on them. Law and order have completely failed in the state," Kateel mentioned.

Also read: In Coastal Karnataka, Hindu Activists Face 'Exile', Sign Conditional Bonds And Get 'Midnight Knocks' On Their Doors