Shivraj calls India bloc's election guarantees in Jharkhand as dud bombs

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday termed the INDIA bloc guarantees for the upcoming Jharkhand assembly elections as "lies" and "dud bombs".

Talking to reporters here, Chouhan claimed the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress had made promises during the previous assembly elections also but none of them were fulfilled.

"They (JMM and Congress) had said that they will provide five lakh government jobs. Not given. They promised to give Rs 2,000 monthly for chulha-kharch (domestic expenses). Not given. They brought a scheme to give Rs 1,000 just two months ahead of elections. They promised unemployment allowance to the jobless. Not given," Chouhan said.

These parties had promised to purchase the paddy crop by giving bonus on the minimum support price (MSP), but it was also not given, the BJP leader said.

"The JMM had made 117 promises (in the last assembly elections), Congress made 344 promises. Not even one of them was fulfilled in the last five years and they have now come up with new promises. These guarantees are the dud bombs which never burst and the people have no faith in them," he said.

On the other side, the BJP fulfils all its promises, as witnessed in Chhattisgarh and Odisha, Chouhan said.

"We are fulfilling all the guarantees in Chhattisgarh and Odisha, where elections were held recently, because our leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the guarantee of fulfilling all the guarantees. Nobody has faith in INDI alliance guarantees because they speak lies," he said.

On Tuesday, the INDIA bloc unveiled its manifesto for the upcoming Jharkhand assembly elections, assuring 10 lakh jobs for youth and health insurance coverage of up to Rs 15 lakh for the poor among other promises.

Asked about Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's statement about breaking the reservation cap of 50 per cent after a caste census, Chouhan remarked, "On a foreign land, Rahul Gandhi also said he will end the reservation when time comes. Which of his words should be trusted?"  Talking about the upcoming bypolls in Madhya Pradesh's Vijaypur and Budhni assembly seats, Chouhan said the MP government has been taking the state to a new height.

"Our resolutions, including 35 per cent reservation for women, are being fulfilled. The people of MP are with the BJP and happy with the government's functioning. The people of Budhni and Vijaypur have faith in the government," he said.

The bypolls to the two seats will be held on November 13.

The Budhni seat in Sehore district fell vacant after sitting MLA and ex-CM Chouhan was elected to the Lok Sabha from Vidisha constituency.

The contest for the Vijaypur segment, situated in Sheopur district, became necessary after senior Congress leader Ramniwas Rawat resigned and joined the BJP.