Karnataka Election 2018: BJP's chief ministerial face BS Yeddyurappa released the manifesto for polls
A separate agricultural budget for farmers, waiver of farm loans up to Rs 1 lakh, women's safety and cow protection are among the promises made by the BJP as it released its manifesto for the Karnataka assembly elections.
The manifesto was released by BJP's chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa just over a week before the state votes.
Indicating the party's
overarching focus on farmers' welfare, the manifesto pledges allocation of Rs 1.5 lakh crore to complete all irrigation projects in the next five years. Loans of up to Rs 1 lakh taken by farmers from nationalised banks and cooperatives will be waived in the "first cabinet meeting".
In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's
promise to double farmers' income by 2022, the manifesto says the party will ensure that Karnataka's farmer get 1.5 times the cost of production as "minimum support price".
A separate department will be set up directly under the chief minister's office to monitor the execution of farmer-friendly projects.
Women's safety and empowerment figure prominently on the list of promises made by the party.
The BJP has promised Rs 10,000 crores to set up cooperatives run by women and to market their products. Loans of up to Rs 2 lakhs at 1 per cent interest will be given to women self-help groups. A scheme to provide Rs 25,000 and three grams of gold for brides from poor families will be introduced, the party said.
A special investigation cell headed by a woman police officer will probe pending crimes against women. Besides, free smartphones have been promised to poor women. In addition, the manifesto says free sanitary napkins will be given to poor women and will be sold to other women at Re 1.
The BJP has also promised to bring back a law that makes cow slaughter a punishable offence. The Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill that was passed by the earlier Yeddyurappa government in 2010 was withdrawn by the incumbent Congress government.
The BJP manifesto dishes out hope for the capital city of Bengaluru, promising to clean up garbage, ease traffic congestion and cleanse the frothing and polluted lakes.
"This is not just a manifesto. It's the party's vision document for the next five years. We aim to make Karnataka the No. 1 state," BJP lawmaker Shoba Karandlaje told NDTV.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi called the BJP manifesto a "poorly crafted fantasy" and recommended that voters "avoid" reading it.A week ago, the Congress party had released its manifesto for the Karnataka assembly polls,
promising one crore jobs over the next five years.