After free bus travel, Rahul pledges Rs 1 crore fund for each panchayat

New Delhi: The politics of freebies has taken a center stage in the Karnataka assembly poll as Congress on Friday announced a set of freebies for the people of the southern state, once the party comes to power. In the latest, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has promised allocation of Rs 1 crore for each village panchayat and Rs 5,000 crore for the Kalyana Karnataka region if his party is voted to power in the May 10 state assembly polls.

Earlier, the Grand Old party had assured free public bus travel for all women if the party came to power in the state.

While defying rains, the former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday addressed an election rally in Kalaburagi district and also promised to fill 50,000 government job vacancies. “We will allocate Rs 5,000 crore for this region. Each village panchayat will get Rs one crore,” a drenched Gandhi said.

The Kalyana Karnataka region comprises the districts of Bidar, Yadgir, Raichur, Koppal, Kalaburagi, Ballari and Vijayanagara.

The Gandhi scion also made a ‘prophecy’ that the ruling BJP would get only 40 seats “since it loves this number”. Gandhi alleged that the BJP ministers in Karnataka collected 40 per cent commission for public works from contractors and hence, the party would not get more than 40 seats, while the Congress would win 150 seats and form the next government.

Calling the incumbent BJP government “a government by theft”, he said the ruling party purchased MLAs from opposition ranks.