Congress accuses BJP of winning Madhya Pradesh polls with ‘false guarantees’

The Congress on Sunday accused the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) of coming to power in Madhya Pradesh on the basis of “false guarantees”, following state minister Kailash Vijayvargiya’s remarks on financial pressure faced by states in meeting election promises.

Speaking at a regional meeting of urban development ministers organised by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in Bhopal on Saturday, Vijayvargiya said states were facing difficulties in fulfilling expectations raised during elections and were increasingly dependent on the Centre.

“Economic pressure on states has increased due to promises and commitments made during elections. In such a situation, the schemes can be carried forward with the Central government’s help,” he said, adding that the situation was not unique to Madhya Pradesh but prevailed across states.

Reacting to the comments, Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari said the minister had effectively admitted that the BJP government was unable to implement several assurances made to voters under the banner of “Modi’s guarantee”.

In a post on X, Patwari claimed the state’s debt had reached Rs 4.65 lakh crore, and alleged that more than 95 per cent of the BJP’s election promises remained unfulfilled. He listed assura nces made during the campaign, including a MSP (minimum support price) of Rs 2,700 per quintal for wheat and Rs 3,100 per quintal for paddy, employment for every household, Rs 3,000 per month for Ladli Behna beneficiaries, and a Rs 3 lakh crore package for tribal families.

Patwari alleged that none of these commitments had been implemented and accused the BJP of misleading voters. Addressing Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, he said the government had failed to deliver on its promises since coming to power and claimed that misleading assurances formed the basis of the BJP’s electoral strategy.

The BJP had secured a decisive victory in the 2023 Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, winning 163 of the 230 seats, while the Congress won 66 seats, according to official results.