Responding forcefully to DK Shivakumar’s burden label on Karnataka’s guarantee programs, Minister MB Patil reframed them Thursday as vital development pillars. ‘The rich must not encroach on these poor-centric aids,’ he urged amid the controversy.
Detailing the scale, Patil noted the Rs 60,000 crore outlay fulfills electoral pledges without governmental overload, thanks to CM Siddaramaiah’s financial acumen. Millions have benefited, proving their efficacy.
G Parameshwara, Home Minister, offered a measured take: ‘Shivakumar, our state president, spoke from manifesto collaboration insights—perhaps privy to details we aren’t.’
Pressed on elite beneficiaries, he conceded implementation oversights. ‘Wealthy individuals, including large landowners getting Rs 2,000 aid, are claiming benefits unexpectedly.’ Invoking PM Modi’s LPG example, he highlighted CM Siddaramaiah’s parallel call for voluntary desist.
At the ‘Kusuma Sanjeevini’ event for hemophiliacs, Shivakumar admitted the strain but vowed protection from economic-induced stress. BJP slams the guarantees as a path to insolvency, fueling debate.
This exchange underscores Congress’s high-stakes welfare push in Karnataka, balancing ambition with accountability as public scrutiny mounts.