New Delhi: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday assured that the party will implement all the guarantees given to the people of Karnataka as the party is all set to form government in the southern state. She hailed the party's performance in the Karnataka assembly polls as the victory of politics that unites the country. She noted that the victory marks giving priority to Karnataka's progress.
The mandate is a clear message that people want solution to their problems and that tactics of diverting attention from major issues will not work, she told reporters in Shimla.
She said the entire campaign of the Congress in Himachal Pradesh, where the party won the assembly polls last year, and Karnataka was on issues of public concern.
She congratulated the people of Karnataka for voting on issues such as unemployment, price rise and development and defeating the "corrupt" BJP government.
Priyanka Gandhi had run a high-octane campaign for the elections and addressed 13 public meetings, besides participating in 12 road shows. She had also held two women's meetings and a workers' meet.
During the campaign, she countered Prime Minister Narendra Modi's charge that the opposition hurled abuses at him, saying he should focus on people's issues rather than talking about himself.
In a tweet in Hindi, Gandhi said, "Heartfelt thanks to the people of Karnataka for giving a historic mandate to the Congress party. This is a victory of giving priority to the idea of Karnataka's progress. This is the victory of politics that unites the country."
"My best wishes to all the hardworking workers and leaders of the Karnataka Congress. All your hard work has paid off. The Congress party will work diligently to implement the guarantees given to the people of Karnataka. Jai Karnataka, Jai Congress," she said.
The Congress general secretary was referring to the five guarantees given by the party to be implemented as soon as it formed the government in Karnataka.
These are 200 units of free power to all households (Gruha Jyoti), Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to woman heads of every family (Gruha Lakshmi), 10 kg of rice free to every member of BPL households (Anna Bhagya), Rs 3,000 every month for unemployed graduate youths and Rs 1,500 for unemployed diploma holders (both in the age group of 18-25) for two years (Yuva Nidhi), and free travel for women in public transport buses (Shakti).
Priyanka Gandhi reached the state party headquarters -- Rajiv Bhawan -- here to a rousing welcome by Congress leaders and workers after the victory in Karnataka assembly polls.
She said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge toiled hard for the victory and camped in Karnataka for almost one month.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi set the ball rolling with his Bharat Jodo Yatra and the Congress won in 75 per cent of the 91 assembly constituencies covered by him, she said.
She also gave credit to state Congress leaders Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar and party workers for the victory.
The Congress returned to power on its own in Karnataka after 10 years, knocking the BJP off its only southern perch on Saturday as voters decisively backed the grand old party desperately seeking electoral revival ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.The party won 133 seats and was leading in three more of the 224 assembly seats in the state.
Later, Priyanka Gandhi, accompanied by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, state party president Pratibha Singh and other Congress ministers and leaders, took a stroll at the historic Ridge ground with hundreds of Congress workers following her.
She posed for selfies with people on the Ridge and Mall Road and had a cup of coffee in Indian Coffee House.
The victory of Congress in Karnataka, which came months after the success in Himachal Pradesh, is an indication that winds are sailing against the BJP, Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee chief Pratibha Singh said.
(With PTI inputs)
