BJP Demands Five Guarantees Be Restricted to Poor, Funds Used for Drought Relief

BJP legislators on Wednesday demanded in the Karnataka Assembly that the government scrap or restrict the five guarantee schemes and divert the funds towards drought relief and ensuring adequate power supply to farmers.

The demand came during a discussion on the guarantees, with BJP MLA Siddu Savadi highlighting frequent power cuts that, he said, were making it difficult for farmers to operate irrigation pumps and protect standing crops.

“Stop the guarantees and use the guarantee money to purchase electricity and provide it to farmers,” Savadi said, urging the government to ensure farmers receive the assistance it had promised.

Chief Minister D K Shivakumar countered that farmers and their families were also beneficiaries of the schemes. He cited ₹2,000 monthly assistance to women from farmer families under Gruha Lakshmi, free electricity up to 200 units under Gruha Jyothi and 10 kg of free rice under Anna Bhagya.

“Please clarify which guarantee should be stopped. We will consider that,” Shivakumar said. BJP MLA Suresh Gowda said the benefits should be restricted to poor households and proposed limiting them to BPL cardholders. He particularly cited the Shakti scheme, under which women receive free bus travel, and argued that affluent beneficiaries should be excluded during the drought.

Shivakumar asked the BJP to define who should be considered affluent and whether it wanted benefits withdrawn from everyone except BPL cardholders. Gowda responded that the benefits should be confined to the poor.

Leader of Opposition R Ashoka defended the guarantees, saying the government should fulfil its manifesto commitments. BJP state president B Y Vijayendra said the government had already curtailed some schemes and was scrutinising BPL cards.

Savadi claimed farmers were suffering losses of ₹10 lakh to ₹20 lakh as crops dried up. Minister Laxman Savadi said the BJP's demands indicated that there had been an internal discussion within the party on stopping the five guarantees.

The five schemes are Gruha Lakshmi, Gruha Jyothi, Anna Bhagya, Shakti and Yuva Nidhi.