'Siddu model' to put Modi in spot in 2024

Maqsood Maniyar | NT

Bengaluru: “There is an attempt to distribute free revdi (sweets) and get votes in return. This revdi culture is dangerous for the development of the country,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said in his July 2022 speech during the inauguration of the Bundelkhand Expressway.

Revdi is a kind of Rajasthani sweet made for festivities. Modi had been referring to freebies as revdi, as a kind of sweet distributed to “bribe” voters.

Modi doubled down on his stand in April in Karnataka when he told workers: “To expose the reality behind Congress’ promises of false revdis, you have to tell people what is happening in Congress-ruled states.”

Welfare dealing damage to BJP Congress went on to sweep Karnataka with 135 seats, partly because of said guarantees being touted heavily by the Congress, which is now asking itself if welfare politics can be leveraged to defeat the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Siddarmaiah said in his Budget day speech on July 7 that welfare had come to encompass universal basic income, a concept endorsed by many economists. Congress’ guarantees in Karnataka include Gruha Jyoti Yojane which promises free electricity to every household whose consumption is under 200 units, Gruha Lakshmi under which Rs 2,000 would be wired every month to “woman head of every household” and Anna Bhagya that promises 10 kgs of rice monthly to (BPL) card holders.

The other two guarantees are Yuva Nidhi Yojana, which promises Rs 3,000 monthly allowance for unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 a month to diploma holders between jobs passing from the academic year 2022-23, besides free government bus travel for women under the Shakti scheme.

AICC general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala recently declared that states that won’t commit 12 to 15 per cent of the Budget shouldn’t be in power, pointing out that the guarantees would cost Rs 45,000 crore per annum while the size of the state Budget is Rs 3.20 lakh crore.

The Opposition JD(S) and BJP, however, have rightly slammed Congress for reducing the scope of the guarantees compared to their original promises. Focus on price rise The direct cash transfers were designed to soften the blow of inflation against the commoner.

The rising price of crude and the heavy taxation on petrol and diesel have increased the price of commodities. The rate of LPG cylinder for domestic use climbing to Rs 1,105 (in Bengaluru) is seen as the biggest menace.

These guarantees originated in the Himachal Congress. While CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has drawn criticism for not implementing the guarantees in a timely manner, they have started disbursing Rs 1,500 monthly to women.

The Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in Rajasthan has also received brickbats for unfulfilled promises.

Still, it has tabled the Minimum Guaranteed Income Bill which would cover the right to minimum guaranteed income, employment and social security.

Rajasthan is also home to the Chiranjeevi Health scheme which provides the poor free treatment and insurance cover of up to Rs 25 lakh for serious illnesses, besides an urban job scheme along the lines of MGNREGA.

What Modi ignores is the welfare schemes in BJP-ruled states. Madhya Pradesh has the Ladli Behna scheme which offers Rs 1,000 to poor women. BJP’s Haryana offers financial assistance to women after childbirth. Many non-BJP states do the same.

The Opposition has also slammed Modi for allegedly writing off corporate debt worth over Rs 10 lakh crore. BJP workers, taking their cue from the PM have resorted to filing writ petitions in courts against freebies, calling them bribes.

One such plea to dismiss Siddaramaiah as CM will be heard in the Karnataka High Court on July 28.