Promising Rs 5,000 a month for poor, Mallikarjun Kharge kicks off Congress's Andhra poll campaign
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge kicked off the party's election campaign for Andhra Pradesh at Anantapur on Monday, ahead of the upcoming state assembly polls and Lok Sabha elections, promising to dole out Rs 5,000 every month for eligible poor households.
Kharge termed the monthly dole a 'Congress guarantee' and a poll promise greater than the five 'guarantees' being fulfilled in Karnataka and the six being implemented in Telangana.
«This is not a promise, this is a guarantee. Like no other state in India, we are giving a promise for the poor. Every poor family will get Rs 5,000 per month into their accounts,» Kharge said, addressing the party's first election campaign meeting, switching between English and Kannada, as the region has a significant Kannadiga minority and borders Karnataka.
Stating that Congress leaders feel «emotional and anguished» whenever Andhra Pradesh comes to their mind, Kharge asserted that the «state is close to their heart».
Recalling that Anantapur district had produced two former presidents of India, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and N Sanjiva Reddy, and that the formerly undivided Andhra Pradesh had given former prime minister Late P V Narasimha Rao and former chief minister Late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy to the country, the Congress President reminded the people that Medak Lok Sabha constituency had elected Indira Gandhi as an MP as well.
Kharge called on all the Congress party leaders to empower Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President Y S Sharmila, the daughter of
