Hans News Service Bengaluru

FormerChief Minister Siddaramaiah said governments must remain accountable to the people and urged the D K Shivakumar-led government to fulfil all the promises made in the Congress manifesto during the remaining period of its tenure.

Speaking after inaugurating the programme “Drudha Karnataka Sankalpa, Successful Completion of 100 Days” at the Vidhana Soudha Banquet Hall on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah said the completion of 100 days should not be viewed merely as a celebration, but as an opportunity for the government to present its performance before the people and assess whether it was moving in the right direction.

“We are in a democratic system where the people are the masters. What matters is whether the promises made to the people are being implemented. Governments have a responsibility to remain accountable to the people,” he said.

Siddaramaiah stressed the need to eliminate social inequality, poverty and unemployment and work towards creating an egalitarian society. He said elected governments had a responsibility to uphold the ideals of the Constitution and ensure social, economic and political empowerment for all sections of society.

Defends guarantee schemes

Siddaramaiah said the Congress government had fulfilled its commitment to implement the five guarantee schemes despite criticism from the Opposition and the BJP-led Union Government. Congress leaders had announced the five guarantees before coming to power on May 20, 2023, and Opposition parties had claimed that the schemes could not be implemented and would push the State into financial distress, he said.

“Within the first year of coming to power, we implemented all five guarantee schemes. The government spends around ₹52,000 crore every year on these schemes. Despite the criticism, the government has borne the expenditure and ensured that the benefits reach the people,” he said.

He said the schemes were aimed at supporting poor people belonging to different communities and reducing inequality.Siddaramaiah urged the government to continue the guarantee schemes despite criticism, stating that such programmes were necessary to address social and economic inequalities.

‘Fulfill all manifesto promises’

Siddaramaiah said a government was not required to implement every manifesto promise within the first year and had five years to fulfil its commitments.He recalled that the Congress manifesto in 2013 contained 165 promises, of which more than 158 were implemented during his tenure as Chief Minister.

“If there is a government that keeps its word, it is the Congress government. We not only fulfilled our promises but also introduced several programmes, including Krishi Bhagya, Ksheera Bhagya and the five guarantee schemes,” he said.

He urged the D K Shivakumar-led government to use the remaining tenure to fulfil all the promises made to the people. Siddaramaiah said the Congress government was working on several new ideas and programmes and expressed confidence that the government was moving in the right direction.

He congratulated Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and all members of his Cabinet and urged them not to be distracted by criticism from the Opposition. “D K Shivakumar has worked as Deputy Chief Minister and understands the problems of the State. Do not worry about the criticism from the Opposition,” he told the Chief Minister.