Reading the BRS manifesto: KCR aims for counterplay in welfare battle with Congress

The Aasara monthly pension for senior citizens, widows, beedi workers, filaria victims, single women, and handloom weavers would be raised to Rs 5,000 in the next two years from the existing Rs 3016, KCR said. The BRS has promised to increase the monthly pension amount for handicapped persons from Rs 4016 to Rs 6016, the Rythu Bandhu farm investment support will be increased to Rs 12,000 per acre per farmer from Rs 10,000 right now. The CM said he aimed to gradually increase it to Rs 16,000 per acre per farmer. Eligible women will receive Rs 3,000 per month and eligible women beneficiaries will get LPG cylinders for Rs 400. The limit of the flagship Aarogyasri health insurance scheme will be increased to Rs 15 lakh.

The government has also promised to construct homes for the urban and rural poor while women’s organisations will get their own buildings. The sops have been announced to blunt the effect of the Congress’ guarantees that include providing LPG cylinders for Rs 500, an increase in farm support to Rs 12,000, and an increase in pension amounts.

Releasing the manifesto, KCR said the state’s Budget outlay had been increased to Rs 3 lakh crore while the state’s GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product) had increased two and a half times under the BRS. His government had given equal priority to welfare and development, the CM said, adding that Telangana had become a model for the country in welfare and capital expenditure.

Referring to the financial assistance announced for women, the CM said the BRS had given importance to women’s welfare. Most of the scheme benefits were provided in the name of women, KCR said. “Today, we are making a promise by introducing another good scheme with a humane approach. We promise BRS will provide a living allowance of Rs 3,000 per month to all deserving poor women.”

Regarding LPG cylinder subsidy, the CM said, “The BJP at the Centre has increased the gas cylinder prices abnormally and put an unbearable burden on the common man. The BRS is announcing another guarantee with a humanitarian aspect due to the large number of requests from women to avoid this burden. We promise that the BRS government provide a gas cylinder for Rs 400 to deserving poor women and the rest of the burden will be borne by the government,” he said.

These sops announced by the BRS in its manifesto are a way of ensuring that the Congress’s messaging on welfare politics does not take hold. After the KCR government launched a new welfare scheme to provide financial assistance to eligible beneficiaries from the backward classes, the Congress came up with a “Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) Declaration” and was working on a “Minorities Declaration” to counter the BRS narrative.

Since the Karnataka Assembly elections, where the Congress’s focus on hyperlocal issues pushed it to a massive victory, the party has received a second wind in the neighbouring state. Putting the dismal result in the 2018 Assembly polls behind, the party has been working to dismantle the welfare agenda and narrative of the BRS government and has regained a lot of the Opposition space it had ceded to the BJP. For the BRS, its focus on welfare politics — especially its projection as a pro-poor and pro-farmers party — is crucial to its efforts to win power for a third straight term.