Hubballi: Labour minister Santosh Lad on Sunday targeted the BJP-led central govt over the country’s rising debt, claiming it increased from around Rs 55 lakh crore accumulated until 2014 to over Rs 225 lakh crore under the present dispensation.Addressing a campaign meeting organised by the Hubballi-Dharwad Mahanagara District Congress Committee ahead of the West Graduates’ Legislative Council election, Lad questioned the sharp rise in debt.He said the economy recorded sustained growth under former PM Manmohan Singh and argued that higher GDP rankings did not necessarily translate into prosperity for individual citizens. Lad also claimed that the UPA-1 and UPA-2 govts allocated around 4% of the national budget to education, while spending subsequently declined. He alleged over 1.2 lakh schools had closed across the country and urged Congress workers to take these figures to voters through pamphlets and public outreach.Congress candidate Mohan Limbikai asked workers to intensify door-to-door campaigning and maximise turnout. He said voter strength across Dharwad, Haveri, Gadag and Karwar had risen from 88,087 to 97,233 following registration efforts.Of the 23 MLAs in the constituency, 17 are from Congress and are involved in mobilisation, he said.Party leaders recalled that senior Congress leader HK Patil had represented the constituency four times and urged workers to reclaim the seat. They also cautioned voters about correctly marking preferences on ballot papers after 8,700 votes were declared invalid in the previous election.MLAs Prasad Abbayya and NH Konaraddi were among those present.
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