Amid Karnataka Leader Of Opposition Contest, B Bommai Meets BS Yediyurappa

Former Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraja Bommai met former Chief Minister and senior BJP leader BS Yediyurappa here on Friday amid discussions in the party to decide the Leader of the Opposition.

It is to be noted that the state BJP is yet to decide the Leader of the Opposition in Karnataka where Congress emerged victorious in the May 10 elections.

On May 29th Basavaraja Bommai slammed the Congress government in the state saying the party has cheated the people regarding the implementation of the five guarantees given to the people during the elections.

"Congress promised people free for all, free for us and free for you during the elections, but now they are making different statements. Even in the principal order, it was said that it is free for all. Now they are giving different statements," said Basavaraja Bommai speaking at a press conference at the BJP office in Bengaluru.

He further said that the Congress should implement those schemes which they have announced during poll campaigning. "Now people are realising What Congress says is what does? The congress colour will be sooner exposed. If people believe that whatever Congres says is right, then why did they lose the election in 2018 after that even the people sent us back home now it is done by Congress and the responsibility of them is to implement those schemes which they have announced," he added.

Further, slamming the current Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and other Congress leaders, Mr Bommai said that they blocked their black money in banks abroad and made a 'one-to-one agreement' with those countries.

"These Congress people have sludge the black money and have done one-to-one agreements with those countries. They have blocked it...people have elected him (DK Shivakumar) on his guarantees first he answers them," he said.

The party's five "guarantees" were 200 units of free power to all households, Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to the woman head of every family, 10 kg of rice free to all members of a BPL family, and Rs 3,000 every month for graduate youth, Rs 1,500 for diploma holders (both in the age group of 18-25) for two years and free bus travelling for women in government buses if the party is voted to power in the state.

Recently, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) Staff and Workers Federation wrote to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah urging him to implement the electoral promise made by Congress of free travel to women in government buses. In its letter, the Federation claimed that there are incidents where bus passengers are refusing to buy tickets. "There have been instances where women passengers are putting pressure on their staff saying they can't pay and the government will pay ticket prices," the letter said.

Notably, during a public rally in Mangaluru, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi declared the party's fifth poll promise of free travel to women in government buses.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)