Mysore: M Lakshmana, the defeated Congress candidate from the Mysore-Kodagu Lok Sabha constituency, commented on Saturday that the election results suggest a significant portion of the electorate disapproves of guarantee schemes.
"BJP leaders criticized the guarantee schemes during their campaign, and it appears the public supported them. This could indicate opposition to the schemes. Therefore, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah should reconsider these policies," Lakshmana stated to reporters.
He pointed out that over 70 percent of the beneficiaries of the guarantee schemes belong to upper classes. "Why should someone who owns an expensive car and earns a salary over Rs 25,000 receive free electricity? The CM should reassess providing benefits under these schemes to such individuals," he added.
Earlier this year, Congress MLA from Magadi, H C Balakrishna, a supporter of Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, suggested that the five guarantees should be discontinued if the party performed poorly in the Lok Sabha elections.