Karnataka Election 2023: BJP Promises Uniform Civil Code, Nandini And A Vision For Bengaluru

A day after PM Narendra Modi while speaking in Kolar in Karnataka lashed out at the Congress for announcing a "bundle of fake promises" to the people of the poll-bound State, the BJP on Monday released its manifesto for the state election and sought to outdo the Congress in welfare politics by promising three LPG cylinders and five kg free Sree Anna (millets) free of cost, to all BPL families - this is over and above the free ration that is given to the poor under a central scheme.

The BJP through its manifesto that it called the vision document, also attempted to end the politically sensitive Amul-Nandini controversy by announcing that once the party is voted back to power, it will provide every BPL family half a litre of Nandini milk everyday. The Amul vs Nandini row has created a stir in Karnataka, with opposition leaders and pro-Kannada groups attacking BJP leaders for allowing Amul to sell fresh milk and curd in Bengaluru and trying to destroy the "pride of Karnataka, Nandini," a claim the BJP has vocally dismissed as pure falsehood. While the Congress actively spearheaded the campaign against BJP on this, even the JD(S) in its manifesto released recently said it will save the "Nandini brand and stop all efforts of any merger.

This time, the BJP has also promised an "Atal Aahara Kendra" in every ward of every municipal corporation to provide affordable and quality food across the state. To be sure, the party had promised to set up 300 Mukhya Mantri Annapoorna canteens across the state. The focus areas of the BJP seem very different from 2018 when the BJP had made the farm loan waiver, free smartphones for women and cow protection measures the central focus of its manifesto.To push its double-engine narrative, the party has promised a network of Jan sevaks across the State who will help in implementing all welfare schemes by the State and Centre. The party this year has also promised 10 lakh houses for the homeless under 'Sarvarigu Suru Yojane'

BJP president JP Nadda said the party's manifesto was futuristic, and different from the Congress guarantees that come with an "expired warranty."

As banned radical Islamist organsiation PFI remains a political flashpoint in the State, the BJP has promised a special wing in Karnataka police called the "Karnataka - State Wing against Religious Fundamentalism and Terror (K-SWIFT). The party also promised the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code in Karnataka based on the recommendations of a committee which will be set up for this purpose.

BJP has promised UCC in States such as Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and others, while some States such as Assam and UP have been talking about it.

The BJP government last year in Karnataka said that it was seriously considering the UCC. It is however a contentious topic, as the law would override Central legislations on personal laws and other laws that govern marriage, inheritance and adoption and may not be acceptable to many communities. The BJP has also said the National Register of Citizens (NRC) will be put in place in the state, and illegal immigrants will be deported.

For Bengaluru that accounts for 28 seats, the BJP has dedicated a special section, promising to declare it as "State capital region." The party has said that it will launch Yuva-Karunadu-Digital 4.0, under which Karnataka's first Global Innovation Hub will be established. It said it will bring an information highway in Bengaluru with enhanced internet speeds, and a smart Water for Bengaluru to optimise water usage, reduce waste and improve sustainability, apart from CCTVs equipped with AI facial recognition software in all the streets of Bengaluru. It has also said it seeks to improve the “ease of living” of apartment dwellers in Bengaluru by constituting the Karnataka Residents’ Welfare Consultative Committee to reform the Karnataka Apartment Ownership Act, 1972 and to modernise the grievance redressal mechanism. RWAs are seen as supporters of the BJP, and this move is seen as an attempt to consolidate their votes.

BJP leaders have been attacking the ‘freebies’ promised by the Congress for pushing the economy to ruin. "Our central party leaders made it clear that this has to be a responsible manifesto with no outlandish scheme. The guarantees the Congress has promised run beyond the budget. The BJP is not a party that is gasping for the last breath of air like the Congress. So what we have promised is only what we can deliver," a senior party functionary said.

Women and youth, particularly first time voters remained at the centre of the manifesto. The Congress has already promised free travel for women in public transport buses, if it's voted to power in the State, after promising Rs 2,000 per month to each woman head of a family. It has also promised income support for unemployed youth. The BJP has promised to provide a matching deposit of upto Rs 10,000 on five year fixed deposits made under the scheme by SC/ST women, more collaboration between SMEs and ITIs to generate employment for young professionals and career support for those pursuing coaching for competitive exams.

Former CM and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah said that the ruling party should release its report card before a new manifesto. "BJP leaders have no regard for the promises they make. They have not fulfilled more than 90% of their promises made in the previous elections," he added.

The manifesto also promises to boost the public healthcare infrastructure by establishing a clinic with diagnostic facilities in every municipal ward, and free annual health check-up for senior citizens. The party has said it will constitute a committee for granting complete autonomy of temple administration to devotees and for regulating local businesses around the temples to create a sustainable temple economy. An agri-fund and a tourism circuit are the other highlights.

While the Congress has announced five guarantees and several promises till now, the JD(S)' manifesto also promises to reinstate the 4% reservation to Muslims and many incentives for those in agriculture, and has said it counter "Hindi opposition" by allowing banking exams to be conducted in Kannada. The party has said it will bring a separate manifesto for Bengaluru city in a few days.

The BJP's manifesto release comes at a time when the PM is also campaigning in the last leg of the BJP's campaign for the Karnataka polls. He has already conducted a number of rallies and held roadshows, the latest of which was in Mysuru, a traditional JDS bastion, on Sunday.