'Country looking at K'taka for LS polls, let's live up to expectations'

Bengaluru, Jan 11: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Wednesday said the Congress leadership and the country were looking at Karnataka for the upcoming general elections, and called upon the party workers to live up to those expectations.

Speaking to reporters after attending a party meeting at Indira Bhavan here, he said: "Party workers will have to keep the party interest above their interest. We have already given the confidence to our party workers to go to the people by rolling out all the five guarantees as we promised. No other government has fulfilled so many promises in seven months. The fifth guarantee would be rolled out on January 12.

"We have established transparency by ensuring that the benefits of the guarantee schemes reach beneficiaries directly without any interference of the intermediaries. About 80 per cent of the families and 3 crore people have benefited from the guarantee schemes," the senior Congress leader said.

Shivakumar said Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has suggested January 21 as the date for a convention of party workers.

"MLAs, district and block level Congress leaders, representatives of cooperative societies, office bearers, booth level workers and other would be a part of this convention. We will let you know the details in a couple of days," he said.

The Deputy Karnataka CM further said: "We have to complete the process of nominations to all the committees including Ashraya committee, Aradhana committee, Energy department sub-committee, tank committee of Irrigation departments, KDP, etc. It is important that we have to complete this process so that it energises the cadre.

"We have given the responsibility of each district to one minster for the upcoming general elections. We have deputed MLCs, General Secretaries and Vice presidents under them. We will also be delegating block level responsibilities. We have asked for organisation and reorganisation of the party at the assembly constituency level and block level," he said.

"It has been decided to conduct a convention of all the beneficiaries of guarantee schemes. The Assembly Session is likely to start from February 12. We are drawing up an initiative called 'Mane Manege Congress' (Congress at every doorstep) and we will give you more information about that in a few days," he added.