Karnataka gets special Congress manifesto

MANDATE 2004

In a blatant attempt at influencing supporters and winning new voters, the Congress on Friday released a manifesto exclusively for Karnataka, in which it promised a monthly dole of Rs 500-5 lakh for unemployed youth, 25 kg of rice for Rs 3 a kg for the poor and 200,000 rural jobs through the Stree Shakti programme.

How the government will be able to do this is anybody's guess. In an equally populist vote-on-account passed in February, Chief Minister SM Krishna had presented a deficit Budget for 2004-05 without imposing any new taxes. This year, the deficit is set to quadruple to Rs 401 crore from Rs 106 crore projected in the Budget estimates presented last year.

However, the BJP has not drafted any special manifestos for Karnataka and released the National Democratic Alliance agenda for governance and its own manifesto earlier this month.

The Congress manifesto spells out the constituency the party is trying to reach. It is written in Kannada and promises to improve the power, health and transport sectors. It also promises facilities like housing, education, food and water to all.

The conspicuous absence of promises in the infotech, e-governance and biotechnology sectors, for which the Krishna government has become famous, shows that winning over this section of voters is no longer a priority for the government. Sops to the infotech sector were an important part of the Congress manifesto when the Krishna government had come to power five years ago.

The party also promises a free saree to each family holding a 'yellow' ration card and extension of the popular mid-day meals scheme for students up to Class X in government and government-aided schools.

While releasing the manifesto, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee chief Janardhana Poojary said the dole proposal would be the first Cabinet decision of the Congress government if it is brought back to power.

Further, the manifesto promises to generate an additional 4000 MW of power and allow independent power producers to generate 4000 MW more.

The manifesto also says 500,000 hectares will be covered by irrigation schemes. It promises the completion of the Bangalore international airport at Devanahalli by 2007 and increases the chief minister's rural road fund from Rs 200 crore to Rs 1,200 crore.

Ironically, in his speech before presenting the vote-on-account this year, Krishna had said he expected the state's fiscal deficit to be covered through savings on expenditure and tax buoyancy.