Yeddyurappa accepts “good schemes” done by Siddaramaiah government

“We will continue the good schemes of the Congress government”, was the frank admission of BS Yeddyurappa, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections.

Yeddyurappa’s comments, according to a report in The Hindu newspaper, were made on Sunday, May 6 in response to a question about ‘Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s claim that the BJP had copied several of his government’s schemes in its election manifesto.’

The Hindu reported Yeddyurappa as saying ‘the BJP would continue some of the flagship programmes of the Congress government, with their names changed'. He added that BJP would ‘also continue to offer subsidised breakfast, meals and dinner at Indira canteens in Bengaluru and other urban pockets. “Indira” canteens, however, would be named after some other good leaders.’

Indeed, the BJP’s manifesto for Karnataka assembly elections seems to be a compliment to the governance of Congress Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The BJP manifesto reads as if party leaders are very impressed with several Siddaramaiah schemes, and renamed and repackaged these in its manifesto, revealing a severe lack of imagination when it comes to designing and delivering governance.

Following are a few examples:

Congress Scheme —> Renamed in BJP Karnataka Manifesto

• Arogya Bhagya —> Mukhya Mantri Raitha Suraksha Vime Yojane
• Anna Bhagya —> Annadasoha Scheme
• Indira Canteen —> Mukhya Mantri Annapoorna Canteens
• Ayushman Karnataka Scheme
• Krishi Bhagya —> Mission Kalyani
• Pashu Bhagya, Ksheera Dhare —> Kamadhenu Fund
• Raitha Belaku —> Negilayogi Yojane
• Namma 100, Pink hoysala and safety app —> Kittur Rani Chennamma Flying Squads

It is surprising that BJP thinks that offering voters of Karnataka a copy of the original, counts as good political strategy.

Then again, BJP is only staying true to form. On the national level too, the Narendra Modi government has renamed several existing schemes of previous governments, and relaunched these at huge PR events at cost to public exchequer. Here follows a list of such schemes:

UPA Scheme —> Renamed and relaunched as NDA Scheme

As many as 19 UPA schemes have been renamed by the Narendra Modi Government.. This was verified by FactChecker.in in June 2017:

1. Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan —> Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
2. National Girl Child Day programmes —> Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana
3. Basic Savings Bank Deposit Account —> Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana
4. National Manufacturing Policy —> Make In India
5. National eGovernance Plan —> Digital India
6. Direct Benefits Transfer for LPG —> PAHAL
7. National Skill Development Programme —> Skill India
8. Swavalamban Yojana —> Atal Pension Yojana
9. Rajiv Awaas Yojana —> Sardar Patel National Urban Housing Mission
10. Indira Awaas Yojana —> Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Gramin)
11. Rajiv Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana —> Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana
12. Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission —> Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation
13. Congress’s neem-coated urea —> BJP’s neem-coated urea
14. National Project on Management of Soil Health and Fertility —> Soil Health Card scheme
15. Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana and other programmes —> Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana
16. Jan Aushadhi scheme —> Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Yojana
17. Universal Immunisation Programme —> Mission Indradhanush
18. National Rural Livelihood Mission —> Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana
19. National Optic Fibre Network —> BharatNet