Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done a ‘U’ turn on several promises during the last three years and just renamed flagship schemes of the UPA government to take credit.
Noting 30 “major failures” of the Modi government on various fronts, Mr. Siddaramaiah said it had done ‘U' turn on Aadhar, black money, Lokpal, Goods and Services Act, and providing jobs to two crore unemployed youths a year. “The promise of ‘ache din’ has turned to a nightmare to the people of the country.”
He alleged that the NDA government has renamed UPA government’s schemes such as Indira Awas Yojana as Prime Minister’s Awaz Yojana, Nirmala Bharat as Swachha Bharat, JNNURM programme as Amrut, Planning Commisison as Niti Aayog, e-governance programme as Digital India and financial inclusion as Jan Dhan Yojana and done nothing for the betterment of the people.
“What are advantages in just renaming schemes and getting publicity? Neither the Centre nor States have benefited from changing the names of the flagship schemes. The Centre has cut 30-40 per cent of its share on all centrally sponsored schemes,” Mr. Siddaramaiah, who is also the Finance Minister, claimed.
‘A farce’
AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka K.C. Venugopal alleged that the Modi government was known for slogans and catchphrases such as Make in India, Start-up India, Skil India, Digital India, and smart cities. “These are all a farce and are only on paper. All these schemes remained a hollow initiative and the government has failed to address the challenges of global competitiveness.”
Highlighting failures on various fronts, Mr. Venugopal said 35 farmers are driven to suicide daily in this country. “The government has written off around Rs. 154,000 crore loans of a handful of crony businessmen friends but offered no relief for farmers. In 2016 alone, 14,000 farmers committed suicide in the country.”
Mr. Venugopal also alleged that there was a big scam in the Swachh Bharat Mission as constructed toilets have already vanished. The Congress would ready to provide evidences if the Centre institute a probe into the scam, he said.
On jobless growth, he said in the IT sector, most rating agencies predicted 40 per cent job losses. Unemployment was at a five-year high and underemployment was at a staggering 35 per cent of workforce in the country.
‘Growing intolerance’
There was a growing intolerance across the country and NCRB data said that attocities against Dalits increased by 38 per cent under the BJP government, Mr. Siddaramaiah said.
The Modi government has failed to establish a Lokpal institution to crackdown on corruption. The government has misled the President ad the Supreme Court on the matter, Mr. Venugopal alleged.
