Joshi attacks Cong over Shakti scheme, says promises made only for votes

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Friday attacked Congress over the 'Shakti scheme' and said that Congress make promises for the sake of votes.

"Yesterday Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge said that we should give guarantees as much our budget permits and regarding the difference of opinion within the CM and deputy CM and other ministers...Congress throughout the country in many states are making false promises and are not implementing the guarantees...They make these kind of promises only for the sake of votes," Pralhad Joshi told ANI.

This comes after Congress National President meted out advice to the Congress units headed for polls cautioning them to announce guarantees on the basis of their budget.

Kharge urged for careful consideration and warned that an unplanned approach could lead to financial difficulties and negatively impact future generations.

During the press conference, he underscored the importance of fiscal responsibility, stating that if the government fails to deliver on its commitments, it could result in a bad reputation and hardships for the community.

Kharge said," In Maharashtra, I've said that they shouldn't announce 5, 6,10 or 20 guarantees. They should announce guarantees based on budget. Otherwise, there'll be bankruptcy. If there's no money for roads, everyone will turn against you. If this government fails, the future generation will be left with nothing but a bad name. They'll have to live in exile for 10 years."

Kharge's statement came after the Congress government in Karnataka suggested that it could review the Shakti scheme which ensured free bus transport for women.

However, on Thursday, Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said that there will be no review or stoppage of the scheme.

Earlier today, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar reconsidered his statement and said, "Karnataka guarantee model is a model for the entire country. BJP and other parties are also adopting it and we are proud that we could implement that and we could deliver that. The people of Karnataka and the country are very happy with our model, " Shivakumar told reporters.