‘Those who were criticizing guarantee schemes are copying them’: DK Shivakumar

KUDLIGI: Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress president DK Shivakumar on Saturday said that the Congress government’s guarantee schemes have become a model for the entire country, compelling other political parties to prioritise public welfare.

Speaking at an event organised to inaugurate the project to fill 74 tanks in Kudligi taluk from the Tungabhadra river, Shivakumar said, “The guarantee schemes of the Congress party are a model to the whole country. It has forced other parties to think about the welfare of people now. The Congress party will serve the people of Karnataka once again after coming back to power in 2028.”

Shivakumar added, “BJP, which criticised the Congress’ guarantee schemes, is copying it in Haryana, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.”

Highlighting the state’s new initiative, he announced the launch of the “7th guarantee” aimed at improving irrigation infrastructure.

“Our party announced the 6th guarantee in property ownership, and now we are launching the 7th guarantee of filling up tanks in the state for our farmers. We have already spent over Rs 800 crore to fill tanks. The electricity bill for filling up all these tanks itself is to the tune of Rs 80 lakh. This will greatly benefit 1.76 lakh farmers in Kudligi taluk,” he said.

The Deputy CM also addressed concerns about water availability from the Tungabhadra dam, saying, “We are in the process of repairing all crest gates of the Tungabhadra dam. Some people are doing politics over the second crop in the Tungabhadra basin area. It is not that we don’t want to give water to farmers, but the dam’s safety is important. Farmers should not fall for propaganda,” he said.

On internal party matters, Shivakumar informed that the AICC has sought a report on leaders who have not cooperated with the construction of 100 party offices across Karnataka.

“The AICC has asked for a report on the party leaders who have not cooperated with the construction of 100 party offices in the state. We will be sending the report soon to Delhi. We will be laying the foundation stone for the Congress offices very soon,” he added.

He also announced that the state government is considering establishing a silk market in Kudligi, saying, “Before coming here, I, along with the CM, had a meeting with the silk growers in Kudligi. I learnt that there are about 4000 silk growers in the taluk. We will look into opening a silk market in Kudligi in the days to come,” he announced. (ANI)