People don’t need free rice, but rather a life of dignity, says Karnataka Minister

‘People of Karnataka will not be swayed by promises of free rice being made by leaders like Siddaramaiah’

“People of the State will not be swayed by promises of free rice being made by leaders like Siddaramaiah. People don’t need free rice. They need a life of dignity,” Govind Karjol, irrigation Minister and BJP leader, said in Belagavi on Saturday.

He was speaking to journalists before a meeting to discuss strategy for MLC polls at a private hotel. “Congress leaders like Mr. Siddaramaiah are going around saying that they will give free rice to the poor if the party is elected in the next elections. But they will not succeed. People do not vote on promises of such freebies. People don’t want free rice. They need a life of dignity,” he said.

“The Congress has nothing good to say about the government. They are not finding anything worthwhile to criticise the BJP. That is why they are going around making false promises and telling lies,” he said.

“The Congress governments in the past have failed miserably. That is why the people have elected the BJP to power and they will continue to do so,” he said.

He claimed that the damage caused by the recent heavy rains in the State was minimal. “The results of rains have been good and bad. The damage must be around 10%, while the rest is bad. We have instructed officers to release compensation to farmers and households who have suffered rain damage,” he said.

Mr. Karjol denied allegations of saffronisation in the preparations of textbooks. “All that is false. The government has not done anything like that. Anyway, we will talk about the issue once the books are in our hands,” he said.