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Mangalwedha (Maharashtra) - “Congress is the only party that believes in and upholds pluralism. To preserve and promote this culture of pluralism, all of you must come together in this political movement and work towards ensuring Congress’s victory," urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

CM Siddaramaiah holds a press conference in Maharashtra

After completing election campaigns across various places in Maharashtra, CM Siddaramaiah addressed the media in Solapur.

Highlights of the Press Conference:

In Karnataka, our government has successfully implemented all five guarantees, reaching every household in the state:

Shakti Scheme: Women have made 325 crore free bus journeys under this scheme.

Gruha Jyothi: 1.62 crore families are receiving free electricity up to 200 units per month.

Anna Bhagya: 1.2 crore families are getting 5 kg of free rice along with ₹170 per person for an additional 5 kg of rice.

Gruha Lakshmi: 1.22 crore women heads of households are receiving ₹2,000 per month, resulting in approximately ₹30,000 crore being directly transferred into women’s bank accounts annually.

Yuva Nidhi: Within just eight months, all five guarantees have been launched, including Yuva Nidhi, which provides financial assistance to unemployed graduates and diploma holders.

Let Maharashtra BJP leaders and ministers visit Karnataka to verify the facts. If they can prove me wrong, I will retire from politics. But if I am right, will they apologise to the people of Maharashtra and announce their retirement from politics?

We have decided to file a case against the Maharashtra BJP for publishing blatantly false advertisements against our government. Despite Karnataka contributing ₹4.5 lakh crore annually to central taxes, it receives only ₹60,000 crore in return. 

Similarly, Maharashtra contributes ₹8.78 lakh crore but gets back only ₹1.3 lakh crore. This means Karnataka gets 13 paise and Maharashtra 15 paise for every rupee paid in taxes. This unfair treatment by the Modi government is an injustice to both Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Modi claims that welfare guarantees will ruin the economy, yet the BJP has announced similar guarantees during elections in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Why does the Prime Minister resort to such blatant lies? 

Karnataka’s guarantees have reached people across all castes, religions, and communities, proving that these initiatives empower citizens without harming the state’s finances.

Maharashtra is socially and economically strong, and if Maha Vikas Aghadi comes to power, there is no doubt that all guarantees will be implemented effectively. 

The Modi Government, however, has shown where its priorities lie. It waived ₹16 lakh crore of loans for the wealthy while failing to waive even a rupee for farmers. 

In contrast, during my first tenure as Chief Minister, I waived ₹8,165 crore in loans for Karnataka’s farmers. Under Manmohan Singh’s leadership, ₹76,000 crore in loans were waived for farmers across India.

I urge the people of Maharashtra to vote for the Maha Vikas Aghadi to ensure the state’s development and economic progress. By doing so, you will be contributing to a fairer, more inclusive future for Maharashtra.