Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Sunday blew the poll bugle in Telangana and announced six election promises that her party will fulfill if elected to power. Addressing a public rally in Hyderabad after the CWC meeting, Gandhi announced Mahalakshmi Scheme as the first guarantee for women empowerment.

“To fulfil the aspiration of the people of Telangana, we (Congress) are announcing six guarantees Mahalakshmi been the first one. We are committed to fulfilling each one of them,” she said.

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Under the Mahalakshmi scheme, Rs 2,500 per month financial assistance will be given to women in Telangana. LPG domestic gas cylinder will be provided at Rs 500 and women will be given free travel in TSRC buses across the state.

The second guarantee announced by the Congress party is Rythu Bharosa for the welfare of farmers. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said that “under the Rythu Bharosa scheme, farmers of the state will be provided with an annual grant of Rs 15,000 per acre. Tenant farmers will get Rs 12,000 per acre. An additional bonus worth Rs 500 will be given for paddy labourers.”

The other four guarantees include 200 units free electricity under the Gruha Jyoti scheme, 250 sq yards of plot for all Telangana movement fighters, Rs 5 lakh and land for those not having own house under the Indiramma Indlu scheme, Telangana international schools in every mandal and Rs 5 lakh Vidya Bharosa Cards for students under the Yuva Vikasam scheme and Rs 4,000 monthly pension and Rs 10 lakh Rajiv Arogyasri Insurance for elderly under the Cheyuthu scheme.

Terming Chief Minister KCR’s Bharat Rashtra Samiti a ‘BJP Rishtedar Samiti’, former Congress president and Lok Sabha MP Rahul Gandhi accused the ruling party of corruption.

“CM’s family gets all the benefits. We had given statehood to Telangana for the poor, farmers and laborers here. In the last 9 years, the poor, farmers, women, small traders, youth and laborers did not get any benefits of the state government schemes,” Rahul said.

Earlier in the day, the two-day Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting was concluded in Hyderabad with party leaders passing a resolution expressing confidence of a decisive mandate in the upcoming assembly elections in five states, including Telangana.

During the CWC meeting attended by top national and state level leaders of the party, a strategy for the assembly elections was planned.