Date:01/05/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/01/stories/2008050152820300.htm

Karnataka

‘Congress, JD(S) have joined hands against me’

Staff Correspondent

Yeddyurappa confident of emerging victorious

Yeddyurappa is pitted against Bangarappa
Congress policies blamed for price rise

B.S. Yeddyurappa

Challakere (Chitradurga): The former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa has charged the Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) with joining against him by indirectly supporting Samajwadi Party candidate S. Bangarappa. Mr. Yeddyurappa is pitted against Mr. Bangarappa in the Assembly elections from Shikaripur in Shimoga district.

Addressing a gathering as part of his election campaign here on Wednesday, Mr. Yeddyurappa said that as the Janata Dal (S) wanted him to lose the election, it had not fielded a candidate in Shikaripur.He, however, expressed confidence that he would win the elections.

The BJP leader claimed that the “unofficial alliance” between the Congress and Janata Dal (S) would only help him get more votes, as the people had realised their intentions.

Manifesto

Terming the BJP manifesto as indicative of future budgets, he said it was in addition to the “pro-people” schemes announced by him when he held the Finance portfolio during the Janata Dal (S)-BJP coalition regime.

“In the manifesto, we have included several programmes for the welfare of all sections of society, mainly marginalised people”. Highlighting a few of them, he said the party would extend loans to farmers, weavers and fishermen at an interest rate of three per cent, besides distributing rice at Rs. 2 a kg to the poor.

To help farmers, the party would reserve Rs. 500 crore as part of a revolving fund to be used when prices of agricultural produce came down.

He charged the Congress with adopting “wrong” policies, which had resulted in a sharp increase in prices of essential commodities. “It has made the lives of the poor miserable. They are finding it extremely difficult to meet both ends”, he added.

Mr. Yeddyurappa appealed to the people to compare the Budget presented by him in his 20-month tenure as Finance Minister with those presented by various Congress governments all these years.

Tippeswamy, BJP candidate, ridiculed the Congress manifesto which promised free colour television sets to the poor.

The Congress should understand that the priority of people in rural areas is better education and healthcare, and not colour television sets,” he added.State vice-president of the party G.M. Siddeshwar and Veeraiah, MLC, were present.