Karnataka Battle Royale: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Vs Nirmala Sitharaman
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, April 26: While the political bigwigs of the principal contenders for power in Karnataka election hog the limelight, there is an intense battle unfolding to set the narrative between national general secretary of Congress Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Union Minister for Finance Nirmala Sitharaman.
On the stake is the women voters’ base, as well as Congress bid to steer election to an aggressive welfarism push with cash dole outs. Vadra has the Himachal Pradesh Assembly election victory under her belt and an election plank for women voters. She is seen to be empathetic to the issues of women, personally relating to them, while laying emphasis on the issues of healthcare, education and employment.
Sitharaman has taken the task to counter Congress’ cash dole out plank. Congress has promised a bouquet of welfare measures – Rs 3000 per month to unemployed graduates for two years and Rs 1500 for diploma holders, 200 free electricity units, Rs 2000 per month to women, etc.
“Congress governments nowhere have fulfilled promises which are being made aplenty in Karnataka. Congress had made similar promises in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. They have not been fulfilled. You should not believe the promises made by Congress,” said Sitharaman during her speech at a women conclave in Kalaburagi in Karnataka.
She reminded the audience that the Congress-led Rajasthan government had made promise to waive off farmers’ debt, but that was not fulfilled. “Please ask your relatives and friends in such states. Congress has mastery to make false promises. In contrast, Modiji (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) has delivered potable water at homes, toilets at houses,” said Sitharaman.
The finance minister is a Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka, and she is canvassing for the BJP in the state. She is also the only visible women BJP leader campaigning in the state in a big way, while the local face and the Union Minister of state Shobha Karandlaje is campaign committee chief of the saffron outfit.
Clearly, Sitharaman is top non-Kannada woman campaigner of the BJP, who is seen pitted against Vadra. The Congress national general secretary is harping that she had been working on women issues since her days in Uttar Pradesh where she was in-charge for the 2022 Assembly elections. Vadra had held several meetings with women voters in Himachal Pradesh, and raised the pitch for strong welfarism push with Congress’ thrust on putting cash in the hands of the people. Incidentally, Congress’ support for putting cash in the hands of the people is seemingly influenced by the likes of Raghuram Rajan, former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India.
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