Eddelu Karnataka slams Congress government over delays in farm law repeal, manifesto promises

BENGALURU: Eddelu Karnataka, the civil society movement which played a significant role in mobilizing public opinion against the communal agenda of the previous government, and inadvertently contributed to the Congress party’s victory in 2023, is now growing impatient with the ruling party’s slow pace in fulfilling its manifesto promises.

Tara Rao, member of the Central Working Group of Eddelu Karnataka, expressed her dissatisfaction with the state government’s approach. “We are eagerly waiting for promises in the Congress manifesto to be fulfilled. They keep talking about implementing guarantees, but shouldn’t they first deliver what they promised in the manifesto?”she told TNIE.

Among the key concerns raised by Eddelu Karnataka is the delay in repealing the contentious farm laws introduced by the previous government. The state Congress had vehemently opposed the laws while in the opposition, yet nearly 19 months into their tenure, the laws remain in place. “Surely it doesn’t take this long to repeal farm laws that they themselves protested against,” Rao remarked.

Eddelu Karnataka, which means ‘Wake Up Karnataka’, has expanded its reach beyond the state, with the movement branching out to other parts of the country. While its leaders continue to push for accountability from the current administration, there is a growing discontent among civil society groups.

Eddelu Karnataka has also been urging the Congress nationally, which is the largest opposition party to take up the issue of greater transparency in the electoral process. Rao said the Congress needs to take a firm stand. She said AICC issued an order to set up a monitoring committee just a few days ago but that is not a complete solution, the Congress should work nationally towards bringing in paper ballots. She said it was disappointing that the Congress has not taken a sufficiently strong stand on this.