Former Karnataka Chief Minister and Congress Working Committee member Siddaramaiah on Thursday said the government led by Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar was moving in the right direction as it completed 100 days in office. Speaking at the ‘Drudha Karnataka Sankalpa – 100 Days of Successful Completion’ programme at Vidhana Soudha, he congratulated Shivakumar and his Cabinet and said the milestone should also be used to assess the government’s performance and accountability.

Siddaramaiah said governments in a democracy are accountable to the people and must regularly assess whether promises made to citizens are being implemented. He stressed the need to address social inequality, poverty and unemployment while increasing agricultural production. An official handbook highlighting the government’s achievements across key departments during the 100-day period was also released at the programme.

Recalling the Congress government’s electoral commitments, Siddaramaiah said the party had promised five guarantee schemes before coming to power on May 20, 2023. He said the Opposition had questioned whether the schemes could be implemented without placing a financial burden on the state, but claimed that all five guarantees were rolled out during the government’s first year. According to him, the state spends around Rs 52,000 crore annually on the schemes, which he said were intended to reduce inequality and support poorer sections.

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Siddaramaiah said social justice, equal opportunities and empowerment of poor people, Dalits, Backward Classes, minorities, women and workers should remain priorities for the government. He expressed hope that the remaining commitments in the Congress manifesto would be fulfilled during the rest of the term. He also advised Chief Minister Shivakumar not to be distracted by Opposition criticism, while attacking the BJP over its allegations of corruption and questioning the party’s record during its previous tenure in Karnataka.

He also criticised the BJP’s ongoing Ballari Chalo padyatra, describing it as a political exercise aimed at returning to power. Siddaramaiah said the recent Assembly session should have focused more on Karnataka’s severe drought situation instead of primarily raising demands related to the resignation of former minister Nagendra. On drought relief, he said 101 taluks had already been declared drought-affected and that the state would submit a fresh memorandum to the Centre, while expressing concern over the adequacy of assistance under existing norms.

Siddaramaiah urged the Shivakumar government to take proactive measures on drought relief rather than depend entirely on central assistance. He suggested declaring additional drought-hit taluks wherever required and implementing both new and existing welfare programmes effectively. He also praised the ‘Praja Seva’ initiative and asked ministers to interact with people in their respective districts, listen to grievances and work towards resolving them, expressing confidence that the government would continue its focus on welfare and a stronger Karnataka.

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