Politics of guarantee: Born in Karnataka, now set for a pan-India (con)test

Long before Congress released its manifesto and PM Modi alleged it bore the imprint of Muslim League, Karnataka’s election campaign landscape had become a battle of promises, with both parties spinning strategies around “guarantees”.

Congress, which won in Karnataka in 2023 on the back of five promises and walked the talk by implementing them soon after forming govt, took many factors into account before drawing up a similar pan-India strategy, convinced that it has the potential to resonate nationally.

BJP launched its variant: ‘Modi ki guarantee’.

This election, they are putting their guarantees to the test.

On the PM’s criticism of Congress’s manifesto, AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge said: “Modi is known for his tricks to divert attention from core issues whenever he senses his party is losing ground and resorts to divisive rhetoric. That is why he didn’t hesitate to stoop low to dub our manifesto ‘Muslim League manifesto’ and he has told Hindu women that Congress will snatch their mangalsutras to give to Muslims. It is both deplorable and unbecoming of a Prime Minister to lower the public discourse.”

Several weeks ago, deputy CM and KPCC president D K Shivakumar, while stressing on the implementation of guarantees, recited his own Kannada poem that translates to: “Five fingers make a fist. Five guarantees make the hand (Congress) strong. With five guarantees, the petals of the lotus (BJP) withered. And the lady farmer (JD-S) dropped the bundle of paddy.”

Karnataka govt has even formed a Guarantee Schemes Implementation Authority with a president and four vicepresidents at the state level and committees at the district and taluk levels for implementation. Congress women wing president Pushpa Amarnath, also a vice-president of the authority, told TOI that the principal objective is to ensure no beneficiary is left out. “On average, the schemes have reached more than 85% of the beneficiaries,” she said.

Siddaramaiah, whose Feb 16 budget has earmarked Rs 54,000 crore for guarantee implementation in 2024-25, has already used multiple guarantee conventions in stump speeches.

On the other hand, BJP is banking on the charisma and rhetoric of Modi, holding out ‘guarantees’ of development, progress and decisive leadership. Its strategy is to capitalise on Modi’s popularity and his ability to strike a chord with the masses by showcasing promises the PM has already delivered on. V Sunil Kumar, BJP campaign committee convener, told TOI: “In this guarantee battle, we’ll show voters how Congress is robbing from the same families it’s claiming to be providing for. While they give meagre benefits, they’re hurting families by increasing stamp duty, liquor prices, milk price, to name a few. Compared with that, Modi has delivered through schemes that give cylinders, build homes, provide tap water and so on.”

After the rout in Karnataka, BJP played the guarantees card during subsequent polls in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, MP and Mizoram. In those battles, Congress’s campaign worked only in Telangana.
To counter ‘Modi ki guarantee’, Congress has announced 25 new guarantees — five each under the five ‘Nyay Pillars’ — at the national level, in line with Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. The Karnataka model of guarantees has a larger canvas and appeals to many sections and has the potential to shape the national political discourse.

While BJP is counting on its national appeal and Modi’s personal brand, Congress’s focus is on tangible promises tailored to local needs which it hopes could strike a chord with voters seeking immediate relief.