Rahul announces 5th Congress guarantee in Karnataka; here’s what it is

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi added a fifth poll “guarantee” to the party’s four guarantees for Karnataka on Thursday (April 27), a day on which Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the party was in no position to fulfil its guarantees.

Announcing the fifth poll “guarantee” of the Congress ahead of the May 10 Assembly polls in the state, Gandhi promised free travel for women in public buses if the party is voted to power in the state. Gandhi is in Udupi, campaigning for the party’s candidates.

Rahul’s guarantee

“Narendra Modi says Congress party will not fulfil its guarantees. We have given you (the people) four guarantees and they will be implemented on the first day, in the first Cabinet meeting. Modi ji, you said four guarantees will not be fulfilled, I’m adding more to it. We will not fulfil four guarantees on the first day, but will fulfil five,” Gandhi said.

#WATCH | As soon as the Congress government comes to power in Karnataka, we will implement the 5th guarantee that all women can travel free in public transport buses: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi #KarnatakaElection2023 pic.twitter.com/8hMSuw5Z9w

— ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2023

“It will be for women. Modi ji, listen carefully. As soon as Congress comes to power, on the very first day, the fifth guarantee will also be implemented — women across Karnataka will travel free in public transport buses.”

“Your (BJP) people looted money from Karnataka’s women with 40 per cent commission; it is your work. Our work is to give Karnataka’s women the state’s money. So immediately after Congress wins the election, whenever you meet a woman on a bus, she will not be paying a single rupee to travel,” he added.

Congress’s four guarantees

Congress has already announced four guarantees — 200 units of free power to all households (Gruha Jyoti), Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to the female head of every family (Gruha Lakshmi), 10 kg of free rice to every member of a BPL household (Anna Bhagya), and Rs 3,000 every month for graduate youth and Rs 1,500 for diploma holders (both in the 18-25 age group) for two years (Yuva Nidhi), upon coming to power in the state.

Asking the voters to limit the BJP to 40 seats in the state, as it is a party that ran a “40 percent commission government”, Gandhi said, “The number is comfortable for them.”

Also read: Rahul Gandhi resumes election campaign with visits to Mangaluru, Udupi

He alleged that the BJP had made “stealing’ a habit and were betraying all sections of people, including the youth, farmers, and fishermen. The BJP could not provide employment to the youth, as promised. Inflation increased under the BJP rule and several small-scale industries were closed during the regime, he said.

A decision on all the promises in the Congress guarantee card would be made at the first Cabinet meeting of the next government, Gandhi said, adding that the Narendra Modi government had not kept any of its promises, including providing two crore jobs to the youth in a year and Rs 15 lakh to every household by rooting out corruption.

“BJP kept promises made to Adani”

The BJP is not keeping the promises to the poor, youth, and farmers and has not done anything for them, whereas they have kept the promises made to Adani, Gandhi charged.

He said he was disqualified from Parliament for asking questions about the link between the BJP government and Adani. “The ruling party has not given answer to my question yet,” he said.

Also read: Karnataka will guarantee end of BJP’s 40% govt: Ramesh retorts to Modi remark

Congress’s fifth poll promise came on a day when PM Modi, addressing Karnataka BJP workers virtually, made a strong pitch for ending “revdi culture” (culture of distributing freebies).

Accusing the Congress of engaging in “revdi culture” in Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan, Modi said their poll guarantees have still remained unfulfilled. “Congress means guarantee of corruption, guarantee of nepotism,” he said.

“Congress has reached a stage where it cannot give true guarantees; you are aware that Congress’s warranty has expired. Then what is the meaning of its guarantees?” he added.

(With agency inputs)