Karnataka sees poll guarantee delay as Congress, BJP play the protest game

The irony was that all these happened during the rains that lashed the city on Tuesday, 20 June.

Related: Siddaramaiah ‘misleading’ people over ‘Anna Bhagya’, says BJP

The Congress protest

The politics over the supply of rice to Karnataka heated up on Tuesday, with the ruling Congress launching protests at all district headquarters of the state against the BJP-led Union government.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, and KPCC working president Saleem Ahmed, sat in protest at at Freedom Park on Tuesday.

Addressing the gathering, Shivakumar, who is also the Karnataka Congress president, said that though the BJP-led NDA government was trying to “disrupt” the Anna Bhagya scheme, under which families with BPL and Antyodaya cards will get 10 kg of rice for free every month, the state government would fulfil its election promise.

He accused the Centre of being “anti-poor”.

ಅನ್ನಭಾಗ್ಯ ಯೋಜನೆಗೆ ಅಕ್ಕಿ ನೀಡದೆ ಅನ್ಯಾಯ ಎಸಗುತ್ತಿರುವ ಕೇಂದ್ರ ಬಿಜೆಪಿ ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ವಿರುದ್ಧ ಧ್ವನಿ ಎತ್ತಲು ಇಂದು ಫ್ರೀಡಂ ಪಾರ್ಕ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿ ಅನ್ನ ಮಾಡುವ ಮೂಲಕ ನಮ್ಮ ಆಕ್ರೋಶ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಪಡಿಸಲಾಯಿತು.
ಬಡವರ ವಿರೋಧಿ ಬಿಜೆಪಿ ಸರ್ಕಾರಕ್ಕೆ ಧಿಕ್ಕಾರ. pic.twitter.com/nSBpCjjH9Z

— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) June 20, 2023

Recently, the Union government discontinued the sale of rice and wheat from the Central pool under the OMSS to state governments.

According to an order issued by the Food Corporation of India (FCI), the sale of wheat and rice under the OMSS (domestic) for state governments would be discontinued.

However, the sale of rice under the OMSS will be continued for North-Eastern states, hilly states, and those facing law-and-order issues and natural calamities at an existing rate of ₹3,400 per quintal, it stated.

The move came amid the slow progress of the monsoon and rising prices of rice and wheat.

Rice prices have increased up to 10 percent in the last year at the mandi level, and 8 percent over the past month, as per official data.

According to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the state needed 2.28 lakh metric tonnes of rice.

“We, on 9 June, sought from the FCI the quantum of rice and the FCI had agreed on 12 June to provide the required quantity of rice. But it backtracked two days later, on 14 June,” Siddaramaiah alleged.

Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, who was part of Tuesday’s protest, told South First that the BJP-led NDA government gave reasons like lack of rain and decreased harvests for denying rice to the poor people in Karnataka.

“The BJP is not for the poor. It can only relate to Adani and Ambani. It was raining when we sat in for protest against the Centre in Bengaluru, and our message has been conveyed,” Reddy said.

Related: Not demanding rice for free, asserts Siddaramaiah

Union government on Congress crosshairs

Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah asserted that the Congress would definitely fulfil its promise.

“We have spoken to West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Chhattisgarh. Punjab is too far and there is no rice from Telangana. We have a deficiency of 2.28 lakh metric tonnes of rice to implement our Anna Bhagya guarantee, and we are in the process of procuring it,” he said.

“We have spoken to officials from Andhra Pradesh. We have sought quotations from agencies and they are figuring out what quality rice they would be sending us,” added Siddaramaiah.

“Despite having a stock of 7 lakh metric tonnes of rice, it (the BJP-led NDA government) has refused us rice. There is no humanity for the poor. It has no respect for people, and is doing this only with ill intention. We are in a federal structure, Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks about cooperative federalism. Is this cooperative federalism?” Siddaramaiah asked.

“They are all dictators. Is the Union government growing and harvesting the rice? They are procuring from our farmers. Who brought the Food Security Act? Was it the BJP who brought it?” he asked.

“It was the UPA government when Manmohan Sigh was the prime minister that the Right to Food Act was brought. Only then was it decided to provide 5 kg of rice to the poor. This has come forth all these years along with the Food Security Act. It is our programme, and there are chances of slight delay, we will definitely keep up our promise,” said Siddaramaiah.

Also read: Congress steps up #Kivimelehoova campaign against BJP

The BJP protest

Meanwhile, Karnataka BJP leaders led by R Ashoka and former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday sat for a protest against the Congress government at the Maurya Junction in Gandhi Park in Bengaluru, agitating against the latter’s alleged incapability of fulfilling its poll promise.

Former minister and MLA R Ashoka, who led the protest, said: “Only guarantees were present on the pamphlets when it was election campaigning by the Congress. There were no conditions at all. But now, all of a sudden, conditions have appeared out of nowhere.”

He was echoing the prevailing sentiments that the Congress was adding conditions to its five poll guarantees, which it had initially promoted as “unconditional” promises.

He continued: “The reason why the Congress is protesting is for every one day’s delay, it will save crores of rupees. If the scheme is delayed by one month, it would save thousands of crores of rupees.”

He also said: “The Congress is in power now. The people of Karnataka have given it the mandate, and it is in charge of the treasury. Yet, its leaders come on to the road and protest shamelessly.”

ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್‌ ನೀಡಿರುವ ಗ್ಯಾರಂಟಿಗಳನ್ನು ಈಡೇರಿಸಲಾಗದೆ, ಮೋದಿ ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ಮೇಲೆ ಇಲ್ಲ ಸಲ್ಲದ ಆಪಾದನೆ ಮಾಡುವ ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್‌, ಅಕ್ಕಿ ಕೊಡುವ ಗ್ಯಾರಂಟಿಯ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಈ ಮೊದಲೇ ಯೋಚಿಸದೆ ಈಗ ಪ್ರತಿಭಟನೆಯ ನಾಟಕವಾಡುತ್ತಿದೆ.

ಇಲ್ಲ ಸಲ್ಲದ ಸಬೂಬು ಹೇಳಿ ಅಕ್ಕಿ ಕೊಡುವುದನ್ನು ಮುಂದೂಡುವುದೇ ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್‌ನ ಉದ್ದೇಶ. ಹೇಳಿದ್ದೇನು, ಮಾಡಿದ್ದೇನು,… pic.twitter.com/nXbmT7ecSG

— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) June 20, 2023

Related: Siddaramaiah sets rollout dates for guarantees

(With PTI inputs)