With nine Ministers present on the podium, the ruling Congress on Sunday virtually launched the 2018 Assembly poll campaign from Bantwal by highlighting the achievements of the State government and hurling charges against the Opposition BJP.
In a programme to inaugurate various development works and to lay foundation stones for others in Bantwal Assembly constituency represented by Minister for Forest, Environment and Ecology B. Ramanath Rai near here, Mr. Rai, Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Food and Civil Supplies Minister U.T. Khader and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah listed out several achievements of the government even as they questioned the credibility of the BJP to rule the State and the country.
While Sunday’s commissioned and to-be-commissioned projects were worth over ₹ 252 crore, Mr. Rai said that during the last four-and-a-half years of his tenure, he has brought in ₹ 811 crore funds to the constituency. The government would shortly sanction a underground drainage project for Bantwal and BC Road towns worth ₹ 60 crore and a stadium worth ₹ 10 crore, the Minister said.
Launching a scathing attack on the BJP, Mr. Shivakumar said that the big difference between the Congress and the BJP is that the latter only talks while the former talks and works. The development projects inaugurated on Sunday are standing examples of the Congress’ resolve to develop the country, he said. Referring to the BJP’s charges on coal block scam, Mr. Shivakumar said that “if he responds now, it would take some other form”. He would respond later. Mr. Khader charged the BJP with “insulting” the Constitution framed by B.R. Ambedkar, by opposing Tipu Jayanti.
Speaking at the end, Mr. Siddaramaiah said that people in Dakshina Kannada would never support communal forces, which was evident in the 2013 Assembly polls when the district elected Congress candidates from seven out of eight constituencies.
In the 2018 elections, Mr. Siddaramaiah hoped, people would elect the Congress from all constituencies. The Congress government has not discriminated against any constituency in the State and development works have taken place in all the 224 constituencies, he added.
While the government has fulfilled 155 of the 165 poll promises, several schemes that were subsequently introduced, including Anila Bhagya, loan waiver, Maatru Poorna, were not poll promises. On the other hand, the BJP had not even fulfilled 25 % of its poll promises during its rule between 2008 and 2013.
Ridiculing the BJP, Mr. Siddaramaiah said that the former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa went to jail while his only successful project was providing bicycles to students. While many BJP leaders went to jail, his Congress government has been free of any such scams, he said.
Later, Mr. Rai and Mr. Siddaramaiah felicitated each other. Ministers T.B. Jayachandra, H.C. Mahadevappa R. Roshan Baig, Eshwar Khandre, Pramod Madhwaraj and others were present.
