Karnataka elections 2023: Rahul Gandhi promises free commute for women if Congress wins polls

Ahead of the Karnataka Assembly polls that are to be held on May 10, a Congress leader on Thursday (April 27) promised free travel for women in public transport buses if the party is voted to power in the state. He hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for saying that Congress would not fulfil its guarantees.

“Narendra Modi says Congress party would not fulfil its guarantees. We have given you (people) four guarantees and they will be implemented on the first day, in the first cabinet meeting. Modi ji, you said four guarantees will not be fulfilled, I’m adding more to it. We will not (just) fulfil four guarantees on the first day, but will fulfil five," Gandhi said.

Addressing a public meeting here, he said, “We will add another guarantee to four existing guarantees. It will be for women. Modi ji, listen carefully. As soon as Congress comes to power, on the very first day the fifth guarantee will also be implemented. Women across Karnataka will travel free in public transport buses." 

“Your (BJP) people looted money from Karnataka’s women with 40 per cent commission. It is your work, while our work is to give Karnataka’s women the state’s money. So, immediately after winning the election, whenever you meet a woman in buses, they would not be paying a single rupee to travel in buses," he added.

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Congress has already announced four ‘guarantees’ — 200 units of free power to all households (Gruha Jyoti), Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to the woman head of every family (Gruha Lakshmi), 10 kg of rice free to every member of a BPL household (Anna Bhagya), and Rs 3,000 every month for graduate youth and Rs 1,500 for diploma holders (both in the age group of 18-25) for two years (YuvaNidhi), on coming to power in the state.

Congress’ fifth poll promise interestingly came on a day, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing Karnataka BJP workers virtually, made a strong pitch for ending “revdi culture" (culture of distributing freebies). 

(With inputs from PTI)