Muslim women demand ‘guarantee cards’ promised by Congress during election campaign

NEW DELHI: Numerous Muslim women gathered at the Congress office in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow on Wednesday, seeking ‘guarantee cards’ promised during the party’s election campaign. The cards were meant to provide Rs 1 lakh annually to the female head of every impoverished family per month to families living below the poverty line.

The Congress had distributed these ‘guarantee cards’ to many households in the Chowk area of Lucknow, pledging these financial benefits in their poll manifesto released on April 5th.

During the election campaign, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi promised that the new government would transfer Rs 8,500 per month into the accounts of women belonging to SC, ST, and backward categories. He had stated,  “On June 1, July 1, August 1st, women will get money khata khat, khata khat.”

He also guaranteed apprenticeships for unemployed youths. “Our manifesto mentions three to four revolutionary steps taken by us like transferring Rs 1 lakh into (bank) accounts of women belonging to SC and ST categories, backward classes, and for women from poor families. This way we will provide thousands of rupees in their accounts every month,” he had said.

Following the Lok Sabha elections, a large number of women gathered outside the Congress office, demanding the ‘guarantee cards’ they were promised. The Congress had distributed forms during their campaign, instructing recipients to fill them out and submit them to the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) office to receive their guarantee cards.

Congress officials, however, denied that any such forms had been accepted at the party office.

Visuals showed a large number of Muslim women lining up outside the Congress office in Lucknow in the sweltering heat. Some were there to demand the cards, while others who had already received them were submitting forms to start receiving the promised funds in their bank accounts. A few women claimed they had obtained receipts from the Congress office after submitting their forms with details to receive the money.

The Congress had launched the ‘Ghar Ghar Guarantee’ program under which leaders were tasked to reach out to nearly 80 million households and make them aware of its 25 guarantees. Among these guarantees was the Mahalakshmi scheme, under which the party promised that Rs 8,500 per month would be directly credited into the account of women heads of families belonging to the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category. This scheme is similar to the Gruha Lakshmi scheme under the Congress-led Karnataka government, wherein women heads of poor families receive Rs 2,000 monthly.

Recently, the General Post Office in Bengaluru saw several women rushing to open accounts anticipating a monthly deposit of Rs 8,500 into their accounts if the INDIA Alliance came to power at the Centre. Despite defying exit poll predictions and securing 234 seats, the INDIA Alliance fell short as the BJP-led NDA clinched 292 seats, likely paving the way for the formation of the next government.

A video clip showing Muslim women standing outside the office demanding the guarantee card has gone viral, with some women insisting they had submitted the required forms.