Why BJP, JDS are against the appointment of Congress workers to guarantee panels in Karnataka

The opposition parties in Karnataka have demanded the Siddaramaiah government scrap the Guarantee Implementation Committee alleging it is a "misuse" of taxpayers’ money and also "anti-constitutional" as it curtails the powers of the elected representatives.

The opposition BJP and JDS staged a protest in the Assembly on Tuesday questioning the appointment of Congress party workers to implement the five government (guarantee) schemes and the House was adjourned multiple times owing to the chaos.

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Leader of the Opposition in Assembly R Ashok said, "The Congress government has appointed district and taluk level committees to implement the guarantee schemes, which is not just a misuse of taxpayers’ money but an infringement of the rights of an elected representative. Are the 224 MLAs and the bureaucracy incompetent to run these schemes? These committees are like political rehabilitation posts for party workers who were denied the MLA tickets. The government is paying Rs 15-20 crores towards their salaries and sitting fee."

The BJP leaders alleged that the government had no money to pay the Anganwadi and ASHA workers or guest teachers. But it had money to pay the Congress workers. "The recruitments and appointments to the government jobs should follow the procedure. Why should we have the Karnataka Public Service Commission if the government is going to distribute jobs to its party workers? Every constituency has an elected MLA, who is also the chairman of committees like the Ambedkar Housing Scheme, Ashraya, and Bagarhukum Scheme among others. But the appointment of a Congress worker to head the government schemes is illegal," said Ashok, adding that the opposition parties would continue their protest both inside and outside the Assembly.

The state government has appointed 31 district-level committees with a chairperson and vice chairperson, 236 taluk-level committees and over 4,000 members. The monthly salary of a district chairperson and BBMP chairperson is Rs 40,000, a vice chairperson Rs 10,000, a taluk chairperson Rs 25000, and a sitting fee of Rs 1100 to Rs 1200.

Ashok also alleged that Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress party chief, had failed to differentiate between the party and the government and money was flowing seamlessly between the two entities. 

Shivakumar, while replying to the question on appointments by MLA M.T. Krishnappa, defended the government's decision to "reward" the Congress party workers with positions and benefits through government programmes and said, "There is nothing wrong in accommodating the party workers who brought the party to power. The people of the state have blessed us with 138 seats. Our government will always be with our party workers. The committees are set up to ensure delivery of the Rs 52,000-crore guarantee schemes to the people. But the Opposition is unable to digest it. The guarantee schemes will not stop as long as the Congress government is in power."

Shivakumar mocked the BJP saying it was indeed "difficult" to set aside 20% of the state’s budget for guarantee schemes, but his party felt the need to "ease the pain" of the common man suffering the price rise and inflation. "The BJP is following our model in Delhi, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh," he taunted.

Priyank Kharge argued that the appointment of party workers was not new even to the BJP and cited the Maharashtra example of the chief minister appointing RSS workers as personal assistants to ministers.