Congress, BJP to launch protests over Anna Bhagya scheme

BENGALURU: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said that they will conduct a protest in all district headquarters of the State on June 20 against the BJP-led central government for denying rice to the State for launching its 'Anna Bhagya' scheme.

Shivakumar alleged "politics of hatred" by the BJP, which it alleged is anti-poor and said that the Congress-led government in the State will implement the scheme at any cost.

"It is politics of hatred; they are anti-poor people who hit on the stomachs of the poor people. The corrupt BJP is showing its arrogance towards poor people. But we will certainly implement the scheme at any cost. We condemn this approach and next Tuesday (June 20), we will be holding protests against BJP across the State," said Shivakumar.

Meanwhile, the BJP also said that the Karnataka government was attempting to politicise the issue and has no intention to roll out the 'Anna Bhagya' scheme.

R Ashok, a former State minister, said that the BJP will hold a statewide protest if the State government does not launch the scheme by July 1. Under the 'Anna Bhagya' guarantee scheme that it had scheduled to be rolled out from July 1, Congress has promised 10 kg free rice distribution to each member of BPL and Antyodaya card-holder families.

Earlier, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had also alleged that the Union Government was creating obstacles to the 'Anna Bhagya' scheme rollout. Shivakumar further said that for those who were raising questions on the ability of the Karnataka government to implement all the five guarantees promised in the Congress manifesto he wanted to tell them that on the first day in government, they had announced the dates and timeline of how all the guarantees will be implemented.

"The Centre despite having stock they are not giving. As they had initially agreed to give rice, we had announced that we will supply from July 1. We will arrange rice somehow and roll out the scheme, there may be a couple of days delay due to procurement and transportation," Shivakumar said.

Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya refuted the allegations of the Centre blocking the rollout of the 'Anna Bhagya' scheme and accused the Congress-led government of "running on half-truths." "Congress in Karnataka is running a government of half lies with respect to this FCI (Food Corporation of India ) issue," Surya who is in the national capital told ANI.

Tejasvi Surya said the Congress' allegation that the Center denies free foodgrains to Karnataka is false. "Under the National Food Security Act, every person in Karnataka, like the rest of the country is entitled to 5kgs of foodgrains.

Therefore their (Congress) allegation that the Center is denying free foodgrains to Karnataka is false," Tejasvi Surya added.