'Rahul Gandhi said women will get money khata khat, khata khat. Now, where is the money?'

Some women went to the Congress office in Lucknow on June 6 morning but weren’t allowed entry.

A piquant situation arose in Lucknow when numerous Muslim women gathered at the Congress office Wednesday, seeking ‘guarantee card’ during the election campaign by the Congress party. The guarantee card was promised on filling a form distributed at election rallies. The card was to provide Rs 1 lakh annually to the female head of every impoverished family and Rs 8,500 per month to families living below the poverty line. A promise made by the Congress party during its campaign.

During the campaign, Congress had distributed 'guarantee cards' to many households, pledging these financial benefits in the Chowk area of Lucknow constituency

Some women went to the Congress office in Lucknow on the morning of June 6 but weren’t allowed entry.

Zareena Beg, 52, a resident of the Chowk area in Lucknow – recounted how Congress leaders had distributed forms during the campaign, instructing recipients to fill them out and submit them to the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) office to receive their guarantee cards. “Some women went yesterday to the office to get the guarantee card but were denied the same,” she said. “Some women had submitted the form and were told they would receive the card within a week.”

Congress officials, however, denied that any such forms had been accepted at the party office. Maroof Khan, a senior Congress leader, told Money Control that some "illiterate" Muslim women mistakenly believed they would receive the promised money after the election. "We have told them that we can give that money only if we come to power. As we have failed to form the government, the Congress cannot give any monetary support," he clarified.

Nujhat, one of the women seeking the guarantee card, accused Congress of reneging on its promise. “I saw Rahul Gandhi saying on TV that we have won and Modi has lost. Now, they are saying Congress lost the election,” she remarked. “He had said that women will get money khata khat, khata khat. Now, where is the money”? she said.

Iram Raees questioned why forms had been accepted from some women if Congress had not formed the government. "I have seen a video clip where a lady claimed that she has deposited the form," she said.

Indeed, 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.

The Congress launched the ‘Ghar Ghar Guarantee’ programme to reach nearly 80 million households with 25 guarantees, including the Mahalakshmi scheme, which promised Rs 8,500 per month directly to the accounts of female heads of Below Poverty Line (BPL) families. This scheme was modeled after Karnataka’s Congress-led Gruha Lakshmi scheme, which provides Rs 2,000 to women heads of poor families.

During the election campaign, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi promised that the new government would transfer Rs 1 lakh annually into the accounts of women belonging to SC, ST, and backward categories. 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.

In a related incident, many women in Bengaluru recently rushed to open accounts at the General Post Office, anticipating monthly deposits of Rs 8,500 if the INDIA bloc gained power at the Centre. The chief postmaster explained that the women had fallen for rumors and that no money would be distributed in such accounts, but the rush continued for several days.

“The situation in Lucknow highlights the challenges and miscommunications following election promises and the impact of political pledges on vulnerable communities,” Manoj Bhadra, a political analyst said.