UCC, NRC, anti-extremism wing top BJP Karnataka poll pledges

Aditi Tandon

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New Delhi, May 1

The ruling BJP on Monday unveiled its vision document for poll-bound Karnataka, promising sops across segments and pledging to implement the Uniform Civil Code, National Register for Citizens, besides establishing a special anti-fundamentalism wing in the Karnataka police force, with a special focus to check activities of the now banned Popular Front of India.

Contrasting the incumbent “double engine government” with the erstwhile Siddharamaiah-led Congress’ “trouble engine government”, BJP president JP Nadda, while introducing the party manifesto in Bengaluru today, said, “While we are for development, they are for reverse gear; we are for fast-paced growth, they are for applying brakes on growth.”

Nadda, lauding the outgoing government led by BS Yediyurappa and later by Basavaraj Bommai as a government that had put Karnataka on the path to becoming a “one trillion economy”, said the BJP had crafted its vision document around six As — Anna (food security); Akshara (quality education); Arogya (affordable and accessible health care); Adaya (assured income support); Abhaya (social justice) and prosperity for all (avirudh vriddhi).

Under the good governance segment of the document titled ‘People’s Manifesto’, the BJP, recalling the ban it imposed on PFI, promised to implement UCC based on the recommendations of a high-level committee.

The segment further pledged to introduce the National Register of Citizens and “ensure speedy deportation of all illegal immigrants”.

“We will create a special wing in the Karnataka state police called the Karnataka State Wing against Religious Fundamentalism and Terror (K-SWIFT),” it added, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the document as ‘development-centric and one that set the tone for building on the good work done by the BJP government in the state over the last four years’.”

The manifesto, in major promises, seeks to guarantee three free cooking gas cylinders to all BPL families annually on Ugadi, Ganesh Chaturthi and Diwali.

Other top pledges include Atal Aahar Kendra in each municipal ward for quality affordable food; half a litre free Nandini milk daily to all BPL households apart from 5 kg millets and rice portions each every month; 2.5 times monthly raise in widow pension from Rs 800 to Rs 2,000; free bus travel for candidates taking public service commission exams; and a special scheme to provide a matching deposit of up to Rs 10,000 on a five-year fixed deposit made by SC and ST women.

The BJP, faced with an aggressive opposition Congress, also went all out to woo other segments, promising to build five lakh urban houses; grant industry status to Karnataka film industry and form a panel to ensure autonomy to devotees to run temple administrations in a state dotted with politically and electorally influential mutts.

Nadda, while announcing plans to create State Credit Guarantee Trust for MSMEs to provide collateral free loans up to Rs one crore developing Bengaluru as State Capital Region, patted the back of Yediyurappa and Bommai for passing the anti-cow slaughter law in 2021, the anti-conversion law in 2022, raising 2 % reservation each for SCs and STs, granting 2 % quota each to Lingayats and Vokkaliga communities and initiating the construction of Ram Mandir at Ramanagara.

“The BJP government believes in justice for all, appeasement of none and therefore scrapped the unconstitutional 4% quota given to Muslims. Our pledges are realistic unlike guarantees offered by the Congress with an outdated warranty,” he said, reaching out to a state with 17 % Lingayats, 15 % Vokkaligas and nearly 20 % SCs and STs.

Karnataka goes to polls on May 10 with the BJP seeking a full majority government. The party has never attained full majority in Karnataka so far.