Karnataka Polls 2018: Cows, farms and women's welfare — No big bang, but BJP manifesto has something for all

M Gautham Machaiah

The cow is front and centre of the BJP’s manifesto for the Karnataka elections, with a vow to prevent its slaughter nestling alongside promises to waive crop loans, invest heavily in irrigation and provide free sanitary napkins to impoverished women.

The manifesto, which state unit president BS Yeddyurappa described as “Our Promise to Our Karnataka”, makes it clear that the Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter (Amendment) Bill, 2012, which was adopted by the legislature when BJP was in power would be reintroduced. The Bill was withdrawn by the Congress-led Siddaramaiah government which came to power in 2013. The controversial Bill had sought to broaden the definition of cow by including bull and bullock, while banning slaughter of male buffaloes too.

In another nod to the majority community, a sum of Rs 500 crore has been earmarked for restoration and renovation of Hindu temples. The manifesto guarantees there will be no government interference in the running of these temples.

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The party promised to invest Rs 1.50 lakh crore on irrigation, waive crop loans up to Rs 1 lakh availed from nationalised and cooperative banks and provide free sanitary napkins to women below the poverty line.

Ever since Siddaramaiah announced a crop loan waiver of up to Rs 50,000 per farmer availed from state cooperative banks at a cost of Rs 8,165 crore, he has been demanding that the Centre should grant similar relief to agriculturists who had borrowed from nationalised banks. While acceding to this request, the BJP has increased the limit per person to Rs 1 lakh. The party has gone a step forward and assured that loans taken by weavers would also be waived within three months.

While the Congress manifesto committed Rs 1.25 lakh crore to complete all pending irrigation projects over the next five years, the BJP has promised Rs 1.50 lakh crore. With the focus being on agriculture, a separate department will be set up directly under the chief minister to monitor farmer-friendly schemes.

The manifesto also promises that farmers will receive 1.5 times the cost of production as minimum support price (MSP). A market intervention fund of Rs 5,000 crore will be set up to support farmers during price fluctuations. In addition to an accident insurance of up to Rs 2 lakh for the landless agriculture labourers, a Rs 100 crore scholarship fund will be established to support the children of farmers.

With an eye on the female voters, the manifesto promises loans at one per cent interest for women self-help group Stree Shakti, 3.5 grams of gold for the marriage of those below the poverty line, free sanitary napkins for poor women and girl students and at Re 1 for others, a special programme to provide free smart phones to women, an exclusive cell comprising 1,000 women officers to investigate all pending cases against women and a special squad in Bengaluru to attend to the distress calls of women.

Perhaps with a view to wooing first-time voters, the BJP has assured higher education loans at zero per cent interest up to Rs 3 lakh and laptops to students. Kannada will be made a compulsory non-test introductory subject in all universities to help non-Kannada speaking students.

The manifesto says a separate Act will be passed to manage the needs of Bengaluru besides investing Rs 2,500 crore on rejuvenation of lakes.

A notable feature of the manifesto is that almost all the welfare schemes launched by Siddaramaiah like anna bhagya, hut-free Karnataka, universal health insurance or pro-Dalit programmes find a mention, though under different names, thereby ensuring continuity.

In the ultimate analysis, the manifesto might be lacking in the “wow factor” and may at times seem very similar to the Congress document released last week, but it has something for everybody.

(The author is a political correspondent and a senior journalist)