Karnataka government seat might have been won by Congress and is now being helmed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, however the imposition of the five guarantees promised by the Grand Old Party prior to the Karnataka Assembly elections, have taken centre stage, ensuing a mudslinging between Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress.
In the latest debate, the Karnataka CM has blamed the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Indian government of directing the Food Corporation of India (FCI) not to sell rice to Karnataka. Siddaramaiah has said said that Centre is trying to scuttle the Congress government’s Anya Bhagya Scheme.
Siddaramaiah on Wednesday accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of conspiring to “fail” the Congress administration’s poll guarantee by ensuring that the state doesn’t get the required amount of rice to implement its ‘Anna Bhagya’ scheme, which provides additional 5 kg of rice for BPL families.
“The Centre is playing politics and has hatched a conspiracy to ensure the free rice scheme is not implemented in the state,” said Siddaramaiah, adding they are establishing contact with friendly states like Chhattisgarh and Telangana for rice procurement till the FCI issue is resolved.
Under the Anya Bhagya Scheme, the Siddaramaiah government has promised 10 kg of food-grains to each Below Poverty Line (BPL) family in Karnataka. The Anya Bhagya Scheme is scheduled to be launched on 1 July.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the Centre directed FCI on June 13 to “discontinue the sale” of rice to state governments through the open-market sale scheme (OMSS) without participating in e-auction, a day after FCI in writing agreed to sell rice to the state.
Meanwhile, former chief minister and BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday alleged that Karnataka CM was making “lame excuses” and indulging in “conspiracy politics” by putting the blame on the Centre.
Noting that even when the BJP government led by him tried to procure rice, Bommai said the FCI even then had said that there was no provision and he and his officials had to speak to central ministers and put pressure.
The state government on one hand is cheating the people of the state with regard to providing 10 kg of free rice to the poor, and on the other hand to save themselves from the bad name of having failed to fulfill the promise, is playing politics on the issue of supply of rice,” Bommai said.
With the FCI refusing to sell rice grains to Karnataka, suspicion has rose if the Congress government in the state will be able to sucesfully launch the Anya Bhagya Scheme. This comes after they implemented the free bus ride for women scheme and the 200 units of electricity free scheme in Karnataka.
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Updated: 15 Jun 2023, 04:59 PM IST