Karnataka govt mulls action against advertisements targeting its guarantee schemes in poll-bound Maharashtra

The Congress is in the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance in Maharashtra, along with Shiv Sena (UBT) and Nationalist Congress Party (SP). The MVA is up against the ruling Mahayuti alliance of Shiv Sena, NCP, and the BJP.

“After the MVA released guarantee cards, the BJP issued false advertisements claiming that five guarantee schemes were not implemented in Karnataka and will also not be implemented in Maharashtra. We are considering measures to initiate action against this,” said Parameshwara.

He said Karnataka was denigrated in the advertisements published in Maharashtra, noting that the Karnataka government had set aside Rs 56,000 crore for guarantee schemes for the current fiscal year.

“Advertisements were published in the entire country against the schemes in a manner insulting to the state. The five departments (implementing the schemes) will have to file a complaint,” he said.

The Congress government in Karnataka implemented five guarantee schemes after coming to power last year. They are: Gruha Lakshmi—Rs 2,000 per woman head of the family; Gruha Jyothi—free power up to 200 units per month; Shakthi—free bus rides for women; Yuva Nidhi—unemployment allowance for youth; and Anna Bhagya—free 10 kg rice per person of every BPL family.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Monday that the state government was considering filing a legal suit against the Maharashtra government for publishing the advertisements.

When the advertisements were first published last week, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar dared the Mahayuti alliance leaders to visit Karnataka and conduct a reality check on the schemes. “We are ready to arrange a chartered flight for them,” he said.

Law and Parliamentary Affairs minister H K Patil told The Indian Express that the advertisements were “defamatory in nature.” Though there is no precedent for filing a defamation suit against a government, parties responsible for the ads can be sued, he said.