Congress leader M. Lakshman, who was defeated in the recently held Lok Sabha elections from Mysuru, has urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to review the implementation of guarantee schemes in the State.
Addressing a press conference in Mysuru on Saturday, Mr. Lakshmana, who is also the spokesperson for Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), argued that the mandate from the people in the recently held Lok Sabha elections was against the continuation of guarantee schemes in the State. The guarantee schemes should be reviewed and restricted only to the needy and poor people in the State, he said.
“As a defeated candidate and as an individual, I am asking the Chief Minister to relook into the continuation of the guarantee schemes”, he said before adding that people have given a mandate against the schemes and in favour of the BJP, which had been demanding the government to stop the guarantee schemes, he said. “So, I think we have to introspect,” he said.
The BJP had been campaigning against the guarantee schemes as “programmes that will make the people lazy”, he said.
He pointed out that the “upper communities”, which were also benefiting from the guarantee schemes like free power, free bus travel, and ₹2,000 monthly financial aid to women, had voted against the Congress candidates in the State. “It shows that they don’t want the guarantee schemes,” he claimed.
Responding to questions from reporters, Mr. Lakshman, however, said the guarantee schemes should be restricted to the genuinely needy persons. A set of criteria could be created to ensure that only the poor and needy avail the benefits of the guarantee schemes.
Mr. Lakshman also expressed his disappointment over the results of the elections to the Lok Sabha from Mysuru that had caused a “loss of face” to Mr. Siddaramaiah. “I am not bothered about my defeat. You can defeat me another ten times, but I will not be bothered,” he said before listing Mr. Siddaramaiah’s contribution to Mysuru.
He expressed his dismay over the “humiliation” meted out to the Chief Minister in his native district on account of people exercising their votes on “caste lines” and wondered how much more people can become “sadistic” by repeatedly “insulting” Mr. Siddaramaiah.
Meanwhile, Mr. Lakshman congratulated Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar on his victory in the elections, but cautioned him against treading upon the path taken by his predecessor Pratap Simha.
Claiming that no Central project was brought to Mysuru during the last ten years, Mr. Lakshman asked the newly elected MP to focus on expansion of the airport and taking up new railway projects in Mysuru.