Promising to waive bank loans to farmers within 24 hours of coming to power in Karnataka, the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) on Monday released its manifesto that promised a plethora of sops/freebies for women, senior citizens, patients, students, doctors and the poor.

“I will waive banks loans of all farmers within 24 hours of taking oath and supply free seeds and fertilisers across the state,” claimed JD-S President and its chief ministerial candidate H.D. Kumaraswamy.

The poll manifesto in Kannada, released ahead of the May 12 Assembly elections, promised free seeds and fertilisers to state farmers.

The opposition party said that it will also set up a farmers’ consultative committee to address their issues, with two farmers in the body from each of the state’s 30 districts.

The party aims to provide pregnant women an assistance of Rs 6,000 per month for three months prior to delivery and after.

“Households below poverty line (BPL) will receive free electricity in rural areas,” the manifesto said.

The JD-S also announced that it will provide 30 kg rice each month to BPL families along with free state-run bus passes for senior citizens.

In addition, the party promised pensions to senior citizens, widows and the disabled.

Opposition parties on Monday slammed a Tripura government committee’s proposal to introduce Hindi as a medium of news on all local TV channels instead of “Kokborok”, the state’s second official language since 1978.

The Information and Cultural Affairs Department committee on April 6 proposed that “instead of using ‘Kokborok’ as a medium of news, Hindi may be introduced as it would promote nationalism and people from outside the state also could follow”.

The main opposition Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) condemned the proposal, saying Hindi may be promoted but not at the cost of “Kokborok”, the official language of the indigenous tribals.

“Hindi may be promoted, but the regional and tribal languages should also be given due importance and recognition. We strongly oppose the proposal,” CPI-M’s Tripura state secretary Bijan Dhar told the media.

He said the first Left Front government headed by former Chief Minister Nripen Chakraborty in 1978 had introduced “Kokborok” as one of the official languages of Tripura.

Congress Vice-President Tapas Dey called the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government “anti-tribal” for taking the “undemocratic decision”.

“The proposal was announced a month ago and the state government has remained silent. We demand its immediate rejection,” Dey said.

However, the BJP has rejected the opposition’s claims saying that “a committee’s recommendation could not be a government’s decision”.

BJP ally, the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), said it was “unaware of the proposal”.

“We don’t know anything about such a proposal,” IPFT leader Ananta Debbarma said when contacted by IANS.

Amidst the controversy, Information and Cultural Affairs Department Director Bishnupada Das told IANS that “Kokborok” news would continue.

BJP spokesperson Mrinal Kanti Deb said that an official notification has not been issued and were “working to promote ‘Kokborok’ language”.

“As far as Hindi is concerned, it is necessary to introduce it for bringing Tripura into same group with other major states. It does not mean that ‘Kokborok’ would be suppressed.”

The sacrifice made by Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah for his son may not go waste.Yathindra is well placed in Varuna Assembly constituency in the state which he has vacated for him.

The constituency had elected Siddaramaiah twice and was considered by every body who was some body as a safe seat. But he shifted to nearby Chamundeshwari because he wanted to offer him a seat where his victory was more certain. Both the constituencies are close to this old city.

His son is a political novice and entering the polical arena for the first time. Therefore, any other seat would not have been as suitable.

Besides his father nursing the constituency for long, his elder had made frequent trips to the area and was familiar with a lot of people who mattered. As Sidda was busy in his official works he had been made head of a constituency committee which was set up to oversee developmental works.

He is no more. He died in 2016, leaving the unfinished tasks for his brother to complete. He has been visiting the constituency for last one and a half years but is not as well known to people as is his father and his brother.

The chief minister’s son is breathing easy because of them. Another factor favouring him is that two other major political parties, the BJP and the JDS, have not fielded political heavyweights against him.

The situation is completeliy different for his father in Chamundeshwari because a sitting JDS member is pitted agaianst nim and the party leader H D Kumaraswamy is going there every now and then to campaign against him.

However, he is contesting from one more seat, Badami, which is dominated by his Kuruba caste . That may help him.

Varuna has a different tale. Besides the blessing of his father, Yathidra has goodwill of his supporters who are large in numbers because he represented the constituency for ten years and was at the helm of affairs in the state.

“We will vote for him because of his father who had launched a number of welfare schemes in the area. These good roads that you are were constructed during his first five-year term. Besides roads, he provided power to agriculture and industry (sectors)”, claimed R. Shekhar.

The other supporters of 37-year-old Yathindra, a doctor by profession, has almost the same story to tell. They all agree that if Yeddyurappa’s son, Vijayendra ,had been in the fray the situation might have been different. His name was dropped at the last moment.

Yeddyurappa is a popular Lingayat leader of the state. He is also the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate. So, if his son was his main opponent the CM’s son would not have been as comfortable.

One of his supporters made no bones about it. “He might have won even then but the victory margin would have been much lower”. The denial of ticket to Yeddy’s son has surprised many in the party, too, because he was assuured about it and had begun canvassing in the constituency.

Perhaps, the BJP tried to prove by this act that it was against dynastic politics. However, it is not an issue with Siddaramaiah supporters. “Children of politicians also have ambitions. What is wrong if a politician’s son seeks election?”, asked R V Vijay.

The BJP has a different take on it.

Hindusthan Samachar/ R. Narayan/ Shri Ram Shaw