Micro Storage For Farmers, SCR Tag For Bengaluru Amongst BJP’s Promises For Poll-bound Karnataka

State Capital Region Tag for Bengaluru, Rs 30,000 Crore fund for micro storage facilities and 10 lakh new jobs in manufacturing sector - these are some of the promises that the Bharatiya Janata Party announced in its Election Manifesto for the forthcoming Karnataka Assembly elections.

Ahead of the polls that are scheduled for 10 May in 224 seats of the state, the BJP national president JP Nadda released the party’s election manifesto titled Praja Pranalike in Bengaluru on Monday. Chief Minister Basavaraj S Bommai and veteran party leader BS Yediyurappa were also present on the occasion, among others.

The BJP is leaving no stones unturned to be in power in Karnataka, where it is a tough battle at several seats. And this was evident in the manifesto as well. Addressing the media, Nadda said the manifesto was not prepared after discussions in an air-conditioned room and that party workers had visited every corner of the state and gathered inputs for preparing this document. 

Nadda said the BJP's vision for the state is "justice to all, appeasement to none". He highlighted that the party's government in the state has abolished the "unconstitutional" reservation for Muslims. Just before the polls were announced, the Basavaraj Bommai-led cabinet decided to do away with the 4 per cent reservation for Muslims and divide it equally between Lingayats and Vokkaligas -- two politically influential caste groups in Karnataka. 

The manifesto is a booklet full of promises being made by the BJP to reclaim its position. It states that the Uniform Civil Code will be implemented in the state "based on the recommendations given by a high-level committee which is to be constituted for the purpose". The party has also promised introduction of the National Register of Citizens and "speedy deportation of all illegal migrants".

Other promises in the manifesto include monthly ration kits for households below poverty line, a fixed deposit scheme for women from scheduled castes and tribes, and a plan to develop Karnataka into a hub of electric vehicles. The party has also promised 3 free cooking gas cylinders to BPL families in a year -- one each during the months of Yugadi, Ganesh Chaturthi and Deepavali.

The BJP's manifesto also pledges to create a consultative committe to enhance the "ease of living" for Bengaluru flat dwellers. It has said that it will launch a programme to encourage interaction between industrial training facilities and small and medium-sized businesses. At the school level, the BJP has pledged to implement a plan whereby the state government will collaborate with prominent individuals and organisations to upgrade state-run schools.

The party promised a sum of Rs 30,000 crore to establish agro processing units in every gram panchayat and modernisation of agricultural produce committees to lure the farmers.

The manifesto included a Rs 1,500 crore proposal to create a number of circuits and corridors to make Karnataka the top tourist destination in the nation.

Additionally, it promises to identify 10 lakh site options for housing for the homeless.