Formally framing its Lok Sabha election pitch as ‘welfarism vs polarisation’, Congress released its 2024 manifesto focused on ‘25 guarantees’ to demographics like women, youth, workers and backward classes, while announcing that in office, it will adopt a ‘Nav Sankalp Economic Policy’ with a vision of ‘work, wealth and welfare’.
Called the ‘nyay patra’, Congress has promised to remove 50% cap on reservations, caste census, extension of 10% EWS quota to all castes as against the present scheme of limiting it to non-SC/ST/ OBC (largely upper castes), law to extend caste quotas to private educational institutions, a ‘diversity commission’ to “measure, monitor and promote diversity in public and private employment and education” and changes in the law to ensure automatic disqualification of defectors. It has vowed Rs 100,000/ year to poor households, a law on MSP and the abolition of Agnipath defence recruitment scheme. Releasing the manifesto with party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi warned that the Constitution is on the ballot, while claiming that the LS contest is much closer than is being projected and promising an upset like the one in 2004 when BJP, the favourite, had lost. He said BJP would be ousted.
Eyes firmly on the young, Congress has pledged to waive all student loans up to March 15, 2024, abolish contractual appointments and regularise those jobs.
Congress has also promised to introduce women’s reservation in assemblies from 2025, and in Parliament in 2029, reserve 50% jobs in central govt for women from 2025, end of contractual appointments and regularisation of all those on contract and recruitment for 30,00,000 vacancies in central govt and raising the minimum daily wage to Rs 400. The party said in office, it will follow the philosophy of “jobs, jobs, jobs” to revive employment, which has touched rock bottom under BJP govt. Contrary to the expectations it had aroused, the manifesto did not promise the return of the old pension scheme saying that it had had held its hand because the matter is under review. It also refrained from listing measures to curb the misuse of laws like Prevention of Money Laundering Act and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act which, it maintains, have been misused against political opponents, dissidents and activists.
Manifesto has Muslim League imprint: PM Modi
PM Modi criticised Congress’s manifesto, denouncing it as a bunch of lies that on every page made evident its intention to “dismember the nation” and warning the audience that it bore a strong imprint of Muslim League, while parts of it were influenced by Leftists. “The (Congress) manifesto reflects actions similar to those of Muslim League during struggle for Independence. Congress is imposing Muslim League’s ideology on the nation, and its manifesto is nothing short of an agenda to regress the country by a century,” Modi said at a rally in Pushkar.
