Karnataka Polls: The Battle Of Manifestos

The Bharatiya Janata Party today made a strong pitch to wrestle back power in Karnataka with a manifesto centered on the farming community – one of its biggest support bases ahead of assembly elections on May 12.

Taking a leaf out of its Uttar Pradesh poll manifesto, the party promised an allocation of Rs 1.5 lakh crore for irrigation projects and proposed the reintroduction of a bill for cow protection if it comes to power.

The Congress manifesto, released on April 27, was also focused on farmers as it promised Rs 1.25 lakh crore on irrigation over the next five years if re-elected to power, besides the creation of 1 lakh jobs.

While the BJP promised free smartphones for women under poverty line, Congress proposed the same for students between 18-23 years.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi has called the BJP's manifesto a “poorly crafted fantasy on weak plot”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has dubbed the opposition party's poll promises “a bundle of lies”.

So how does the BJP's manifesto compare with that of the Congress? Karnataka University professor Harish Ramaswamy and Professor at National Institute of Advanced Studies Narendar Pani weighed in.