From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, May 6: With Karnataka completing its second phase of election to the remaining 14 Lok Sabha seats, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has exhorted all women to vote for Congress for their empowerment.
“Women’s victory lies in Congress party’s victory,” he said.
In a fervent appeal posted in social media platform, X, Siddaramaiah said the ongoing election to the 18th Lok Sabha will decide the future of the government in implementing pro-women and women-centric programmes.
“The women need to choose between BJP, which believes in Manushastra proclaiming women do not deserve freedom, and the Congress party which always stands for equal opportunities and equal rights to the women as guaranteed by the Constitution,” he said.The Chief Minister reminded the women that BJP and its parent body, RSS, have always been “anti-women” and pointed out that the happenings in the country from Gujarat to Manipur. In Karnataka, the BJP has joined hands with the forces exploiting women, he said indirectly referring to the sexual abuse of women by Hassan JDS MP and BJP-JDS alliance candidate Prajwal Revanna.
The Congress party, on the other hand, swears of “Gruhalakshmi” and “Shakti” guarantees to empower women, the Chief Minister said and asked the women to be wary of the statements of BJP-JDS combine, especially JDS leader H D Kumaraswamy criticising the “Shakti” guarantee as it leads to “women going astray.”
The intention of BJP and its ally JDS is continued exploitation and subjugation of women and opposing women’s empowerment, he said pointing out that the programmes implemented by the Congress government during 2013-18 and during the last 10 months proves the Congress party’s commitment for the empowerment of women.
Siddaramaiah said the Congress government has been implementing series of women welfare and women centric programmes and explained the benefits given to women through the guarantees, implemented despite the opposition from BJP and non-cooperation by Narendra Modi regime.
Predicting the defeat of Modi regime and BJP, he said the INDIA alliance will be implementing the Mahalakshmi programmes assuring payment of Rs 1 lakh per year to the women-heads of the economically weaker section families and several other women-centric programmes and policies.
He said the Congress party has given tickets to 6 women candidates in the present election in the State, which is unprecedented. It is now the duty of womenfolk to get the women candidates and all Congress candidates elected by voting overwhelmingly, he said.
“Women’s victory is in the victory of Congress party,” he said, adding “Congress party is committed to women’s empowerment."