Karnataka CM says Trump is copying Congress:US President said he will give ₹5 lakh after winning election; Shivakumar links it to govt scheme

Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said on Monday that other countries had learnt from the Congress government’s guarantee schemes in the state. He claimed that US President Donald Trump was now adopting the same model. Trump had said on Thursday that if the Republican Party retained its majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the midterm elections to be held in the US in November, every adult American would be given $5,000 (around ₹4.76 lakh). Shivakumar made the remarks during an event at the Congress office on 14 September. He said that, taking a cue from Karnataka, similar schemes were also being launched in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar. Shivakumar raised questions on LPG prices Shivakumar criticized the central government’s Ujjwala scheme and raised the issue of rising LPG prices. He said that Congress believes in serving the people irrespective of caste or religion. The Supreme Court has questioned the free schemes In October 2023, the Supreme Court had issued notices to the central government, the Election Commission and the RBI seeking their response on a fresh petition against free schemes being provided with public money in poll-bound states, including Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud had admitted that these announcements made from the government treasury just before the elections are a very serious issue. Subsequently, the matter was raised again before a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court in 2024. The Election Commission stated clearly in the court that under existing laws, it does not have the authority to prevent any party from making free promises or to confiscate its election symbol. Parliament would need to amend the Representation of the People Act and enact stricter rules. ​