Bengaluru, Aug 20 : Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Wednesday said that the Congress-led government had "put Rs 1 lakh crore directly into the pockets of the poor" through various public welfare schemes.

Shivakumar, who is also the Congress state unit chief, made the remark at the state party office here during the celebration of the birth anniversaries of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and former Chief Minister D. Devaraj Urs.

"Our government has been running guarantee schemes for the past two years. People must be reminded of these schemes. We have issued these schemes as tools to empower you, and they must be used properly. For example, Rs 20,000 crore has been allocated for free electricity for farmers, Rs 10,000 crore for various pension schemes, Rs 52,000 crore for the five guarantee schemes, and combined with other social welfare schemes, our government is putting around Rs 1 lakh crore into the pockets of the poor," Shivakumar stated after paying floral tributes to the portraits of these leaders.

"Did BJP or the other parties have any such programme? When I was an MLA, during then-CM J.H. Patel's tenure in the state, Rs 1 lakh was granted to panchayats. During CM S.M. Krishna's tenure at the head of the Congress government, we increased it to Rs 5 lakh and included 27 departments under panchayats. This is how the Congress empowers local governance," he said.

'Regarding JD-S, what sacrifices have the Gowdas (former PM H.D. Deve Gowda) and their families made? And the BJP - what was their contribution during the freedom struggle? After coming to power, did they ensure food for the poor? Did they give land to farmers? Regarding free electricity for farmers, initially, late (Chief Minister S.) Bangarappa and I, as ministers, increased it from 6 hours to 7 hours. Earlier, Rs 800 crore was spent annually; now we are allocating Rs 20,000 crore," he added.

"Today is an inspiring day for the youth. Recently, our youth leader B.V. Srinivas organised the 'Run for Rajiv' marathon, which saw around 15,000 participants at 5.30 a.m., including many common citizens. People still remember Rajiv Gandhi's contributions," he said.

"I remember when I was a student in the general hostel, there was no telephone connectivity in our village. It would take 3'4 years to get one. Today, everyone owns two or three phones. Rajiv Gandhi brought the revolution of computers and telecommunications to this country," Shivakumar said.

The Deputy Chief Minister remembered that the former Prime Minister had brought the 74th Amendment to the Constitution to ensure leadership from panchayats to Parliament. "Yesterday, BJP leaders were raising objections to the 74th Amendment. To implement it properly, we are creating five municipal corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA)," he said.

'Rajiv Gandhi had a special concern for youth. He lowered the voting age from 21 years to 18 years... We remember such visionary leaders,' he added.

"Rajiv Gandhi had instructed Bangarappa to ensure that youth from all communities get opportunities. During communal clashes in Channapatna, Rajiv Gandhi personally came to the state. I was an MLA of a part of Channapatna then. He discussed many matters with me in his car... then CM Veerendra Patil's health was failing at that time. Rajiv Gandhi did not wish to change leadership, but due to health reasons, the decision was made to appoint Bangarappa. He also instructed that opportunities must be given to youth of all communities. Instead of senior leader Chikke Gowda in the district, I became a minister," Shivakumar said.

"Many leaders who are now Chief Ministers in various states grew during Rajiv Gandhi's time. No other party leaders can match the sacrifices made by Congress leaders for the nation's integrity and peace. The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has written to hold student elections; a committee will be formed to decide how to conduct them," he said.

/IANS