Women queue at UP Congress office for Rs 1 lakh ‘guarantee card’
This assurance was part of the Mahalakshmi scheme, a key feature of Congress's 'Ghar Ghar Guarantee' program, which aimed to provide Rs 8,500 monthly to women from Below Poverty Line (BPL) households.
In a chaotic and unexpected turn of events following the Lok Sabha elections, a considerable number of women gathered outside a Congress office in Lucknow, demanding the fulfillment of the party’s pre-election promise.
The Congress had distributed ‘guarantee cards’, a keycard of its campaign, pledging an annual amount of Rs 1 lakh to the female heads of deprived families. This assurance was part of the Mahalaxmi scheme, a key feature of Congress’s ‘Ghar Ghar Guarantee’ program, which aimed to provide Rs 8,500 monthly to women from Below Poverty Line (BPL) households.
Mahalaxmi scheme:
The scene was particularly striking with many Muslim women waiting in the sizzling heat, determined to claim their promised financial support. Some women were there to obtain these guarantee cards, while others, already in possession of them, were submitting forms to kickstart the process of receiving funds in their bank accounts. Several women mentioned that they had received receipts from the Congress office after submitting their necessary details.
This scenario mirrored the events in Karnataka, where a similar scheme, ‘Gruha Lakshmi’ promised Rs 2,000 monthly to women heads of poor families. Expectations around these financial promises had driven many women to open new bank accounts, hopeful for the financial support that was pledged
This gathering occurred just a day after the Lok Sabha election results were announced. Despite defying exit poll predictions and securing 234 seats, the INDI Alliance, led by Congress, fell short as the BJP-led NDA clinched 292 seats. The Congress had ambitiously promised substantial financial aid to women from SC, ST, and backward categories in its manifesto. Rahul Gandhi emphasized the commitment to transfer Rs 1 lakh annually into the accounts of women from these communities.
The scenery outside the Congress office was a form of evidence of the high expectations set by the party’s election promises and the immediate need for financial support among these women. The promise of direct monetary aid had clearly resonated, creating a wave of anticipation and urgency among the beneficiaries.
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