JOIN USCongmen seek scrutiny of populist schemes
With populist schemes of the State government not translating into votes in the Lok Sabha elections, a section of the Congress leaders feel that the party could have fared well had the government done ‘better’ in the past one year.
According to senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily, it had been established that populist schemes alone cannot ensure victory at the hustings.
“In addition to the programmes such as Anna Bhagya, there should also be governance and development. The scheme has not helped in earning the goodwill of the people who like to see positive changes in governance. Otherwise, there would be no difference between the present and the previous regime,” Moily told Deccan Herald.
Moily managed to retain the Chikkaballapur seat with a margin of 9,520 votes. He said that he would have won with a margin of at least one lakh votes but for the Modi wave.
Accountability sought
Asked to spell out the changes to better the performance of the government, Moily said that development projects should be put on fast track and efficient officers should be appointed to key positions.
He said ministers should be held accountable for the victory and defeat of the party candidates.
Horticulture minister Shamanur Shivashankarappa felt that none of the ‘Bhagya’ schemes came to the rescue of Congress candidates in the Lok Sabha elections. He said that the performance of the schemes should be reviewed.
The minister’s son S S Mallikarjun lost to the BJP candidate G S Siddeshwara in Davangere.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) general secretary B L Shankar had a different view. While asserting that the populist schemes have had a positive impact, he said that the APL families were dismayed over denial of ration under the public distribution system. “It is time to sit up and take a relook at the programmes,” he said. He also felt that the Congress cadre should be more disciplined like that of the BJP.
Information and Haj Minister R Roshan Baig said that the social welfare schemes of the government had been received well by the people. He attributed the BJP victory to polarisation of votes.
Youth Congress president Rizwan Arshad who lost to BJP’s P C Mohan in Bangalore Central, also said that the saffron party had been successful in polarising the votes.
Janardhana Poojary, who lost the Dakshina Kannada seat, was all praise for Siddaramaiah. He said that Karnataka had fared well in the elections compared to other states.
The Congress has nine MPs this time, up by six in the 2009 elections.