The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in Karnataka held a protest on Tuesday against the Congress-led state government for not delivering on its five poll guarantees. The protest comes after Karnataka’s Animal Husbandry and Veterinary sciences minister, K Venkatesh’s, made a statement in favour of cow slaughter. The BJP, which projected the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, 2020 as a primary agenda, condemned the statement. The new law bans the slaughter of bulls, bullocks, oxen, and calves, proposing stringent punishment and penalties for violators.
According to the Congress manifesto, all five guarantees will be implemented in the current financial year at a cost of approximately Rs 50,000 crore every year. The cabinet meeting chaired by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced the decision on June 2. However, the Opposition BJP and the JD(S) accused Congress of trying to deceive voters by attaching conditions to avail of the guarantee schemes, which were not mentioned ahead of the polls.
Former Chief Minister and BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai said the ruling party should not push the state into financial hardship to implement its guarantee schemes. The BJP’s protest is also in response to the allegedly unfulfilled promises by the state government. The BJP has accused Congress of failing to deliver on its word, causing financial hardship to the people.
