Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], May 26 (ANI): Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar lashed out at the BJP for increasing the financial burden on the people and said the Congress government in the state was reducing the burden with its guarantee schemes.
Addressing a joint press conference at the KPCC office, the DCM, who is also the KPCC President, said, "Think about what the situation would have been like if Congress's guarantees did not exist."
"Our guarantees are not just appreciated in Karnataka; the entire country has praised them. Even the United Nations has commended them. Prices are skyrocketing while incomes are plummeting. Many hotels have partially shut down due to rising cylinder prices and shortages. This year, commercial cylinder prices were hiked by ₹28 on March 1, ₹114.50 on March 7, ₹49 on March 23, ₹195-₹218 on April 1, and ₹993 on May 1," he explained.
"This price hike has become a curse on everyone's lives. Even though crude oil prices are low in the international market, prices have been raised by such a large amount. The central government collects ₹1,000 crore daily through fuel taxes. By giving up these taxes, they could have reduced the financial burden on common people. No other country has seen price hikes of this scale. In the last 11 days, petrol and diesel prices have been increased by ₹7.52, which has badly affected ordinary people," he said.
"We criticised the central government's price hikes as daylight robbery and protested with the '100 not out' campaign. Despite using every word in the dictionary to criticise them, Opposition Leader R. Ashoka and BJP State President Vijayendra, without any shame, are now asking the state government to reduce taxes. First, stop the central government's extortion," he lashed out.
"Meanwhile, the Prime Minister advises people to reduce cooking oil use. The central government has collected ₹43 lakh crore through fuel taxes over 12 years. Petrol, which was ₹71 during the UPA government, is now ₹110; diesel, which was ₹56, is now ₹99. This month on the 30th, protests against price hikes will be held in all district headquarters. After today's meeting, our party will announce the outline of the next phase of agitation. Subsequently, instructions will be given to carry out the struggle across every assembly constituency," he stated.
He further hit out, "We will draw public attention and create awareness against price hikes. The people themselves must oust this anti-people central government. The BJP government under Modi talks about achievements. How can Modi control people by telling them not to buy gold for weddings or not to eat properly? BJP leaders, central ministers, and officials who rode the metro for one day -- are they using public transport now? They did a one-day photo shoot just for media coverage. This is something that cannot be implemented in reality. They are designing such programmes with the intention of causing hardship to the people."
When asked how they could offer guarantee schemes amid inflation, he said, "While the BJP plays politics on caste and religion by appealing to emotions, we do politics of livelihood. We do politics through programmes that value people's sweat and hard work and fill their stomachs. This is our philosophy."
When asked whether the guarantees would be revised, he said: "Some guarantee beneficiaries have passed away, and around ₹100 crore has been misused by going to the wrong people. Also, since some have given others' phone numbers, we need to find out whether the schemes are reaching the right beneficiaries. Therefore, a suggestion has come to discuss collecting beneficiary records. We are reviewing this in every taluk."
When asked about Annabhagya rice not being properly distributed for the past two months, he said: "The central government is not releasing rice. This is happening not just in Karnataka but in all states where our government is in power," he said.
When asked about BJP National President Nitin Nabin's reported instruction to state leaders not to dream of coming to power in 2028 and to focus on work, Shivakumar said, "Amit Shah had said BJP would win 122 seats and asked everyone to get their suits ready. I had said we would win 136 seats. I'm saying it again in 2028, this same D K Shivakumar and the Congress party will come to power in the state," he predicted.
When asked whether there would be discussions about the Chief Minister's post, he said: "I don't know about that. I will not give any response on this matter," he added. (ANI)
