Sections of the population that once raised “Modi, Modi” slogans were now disillusioned due to rising inflation and living costs, he said at an event in Tumakuru marking three years of the Congress government in the state.
The CM said his government had focused on empowering the poor across castes and religions through welfare and development measures. “Unlike the BJP’s politics of dividing people in the name of caste and religion, we have countered its propaganda through development,” he said.
The CM also criticised the union government over the cancellation of the NEET examination for medical admissions, alleging that the decision caused distress among students and led to suicides. Siddaramaiah said Karnataka had proposed adopting the state’s entrance examination model instead of NEET, but the Union government persisted with the existing framework.
Targeting the BJP over governance in Gujarat, he said the party had ruled the state for 35 years without delivering meaningful development. “The Karnataka model of development has rendered the Gujarat model irrelevant,” he said, expressing confidence that the Congress would retain power in the 2028 Assembly elections.
Siddaramaiah said the state government’s flagship guarantee schemes had contributed to improving incomes and boosting Karnataka’s economic standing. “Our contribution to the country’s GST collections is immense. The state’s per capita income is higher than the national average because we have delivered on our promises,” he said.
Deputy CM DK Shivakumar said Karnataka’s welfare guarantee schemes had emerged as a model for other states and political parties.
He said the schemes were introduced to support people affected by inflation and rising living costs, adding that opposition parties that initially criticised the guarantees were now adopting similar measures. According to Shivakumar, the BJP’s electoral gains in some recent state polls were aided by welfare promises inspired by Karnataka’s model.
