Karnataka Congress’s second poll ‘guarantee’: Monthly Rs 2,000 for female head of every household

The new promise, to be implemented as the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, was announced by state Congress president D K Shivakumar at the party’s Naa Nayaki rally attended by general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

The money will be directly debited to the accounts of beneficiaries every month, Priyanka said.

According to the Congress, the initiative is meant to reduce “the burden of exorbitant LPG prices and the costly daily expenses that a woman has to bear…” as “the Congress wants to provide financial independence to each woman of Karnataka”.

Priyanka, in her address, trained guns at the BJP government and accused it of indulging in rampant corruption. She alleged that by taking 40 per cent commission as bribes, the government had pocketed Rs 1.5 lakh crore. “You have to pay bribes for everything (in Karnataka),” she said.

Congress General Secretary Smt. @priyankagandhi launched the Griha Lakshmi scheme in Bangalore today. Under this scheme, every woman head of household in Karnataka will be provided with Rs. 2000 per month.#KarnatakaWantsCongress pic.twitter.com/TCyuA8z6Od

— Congress (@INCIndia) January 16, 2023

Life has become unaffordable, but nobody is holding the government accountable, Priyanka said. “So they are busy creating distractions,” she said, citing the textbook controversy as an example.

The BJP’s policy works to benefit only a few and these few become richer and richer, she added.

Opposition leader Siddaramaiah alleged that though the BJP had been in power in the state for the past three years, it did not come up with a single programme for women.

After the Congress announced 200 units of free power, the BJP has started making false assurances to woo the voters, he said.