Congress manifesto vows to bring MSP law, raise quota cap, scrap Agnipath

Tribune News Service

Shubhadeep Choudhury

New Delhi, April 5

Sounding a chilling warning that “India may no longer be a truly free and democratic republic”, the Congress today released its manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections and appealed to people “to look beyond religion, language and caste and elect a democratic government”.

Editorial: Congress manifesto

The manifesto promised not to interfere with personal choices of food and dress, to love and marry, and to travel and reside in any part of India. It vowed to put an end to “the weaponisation of laws”, arbitrary searches, seizures and attachments and “bulldozer justice”. Right to apprenticeship, a legal guarantee for MSP, passing a constitutional amendment to raise the 50 per cent cap on reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs, a nationwide caste census and scrapping of Agnipath scheme are among the main promises made.

Key takeaways

• Rs 1 lakh annual cash transfer to women of poor households
• Stopping the misuse of laws
• Rs 1 lakh apprenticeship for a year to unemployed youth
• Full statehood to J&K, special status to Andhra Pradesh
• More powers to Delhi Govt
• Filling 30L central govt posts
• Health insurance up to Rs 25L
• Review of new education policy
• 10% quota in jobs for EWS

PM to be decided after elections: Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the elections were a much-closer contest than projected by the media, “akin to the BJP’s ‘India Shining’ campaign in 2004 when it was believed the BJP would win again”. “The INDIA bloc is fighting an ideological election and a decision on the PM candidate will be taken after the poll,” he said.

bundle of lies to mislead people: BJP

The BJP dubbed the Congress manifesto as a “bundle of lies aimed at misleading people” and asked what happened to the party’s 2019 pre-poll pledge of giving Rs 72,000 annually to the poorest. The BJP also questioned the use of foreign location pictures in the grand old party's key poll document.

It also promised punishing defecting MLAs and MPs with disqualification that will follow automatically, increasing minimum wages under MGNREGA to Rs 400, writing off student loans, filling up 30 lakh vacancies in the Central Government and abolishing contractual jobs in the public sector.

Focusing on five “pillars of justice” and 25 guarantees under them, the manifesto was released at the AICC headquarters by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in the presence of former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Manifesto committee chairman P Chidambaram and general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal were also present on the dais. In the 45-page document titled ‘Nyay Patra’ and featuring pictures of Kharge and Rahul and Bharat Jodo Yatras, the opposition party said it would implement 10 per cent quota in jobs and educational institutions for economically weaker sections (EWS) for all castes and communities without discrimination if it comes to power.

The party also promised full statehood to J&K, besides giving special status to Andhra Pradesh, full statehood to Puducherry and to amend the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991, to declare that Lt Governor shall act on the aid and advice of Council of Ministers of NCT, Delhi.

It said it would provide one-year apprenticeship to every diploma holder or graduate below age of 25, under which apprentices will get Rs 1 lakh a year. It also promised to provide financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh cash transfer to a woman of poor households under the Mahalakshmi scheme. “We will reserve one-half (50 per cent) of Central Government jobs for women starting in 2025,” it said.

Senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda and CWC members Ambika Soni, Sachin Pilot and Anand Sharma were among those who attended the function. Anand Sharma had created a flutter last month by opposing the party’s stand on caste census. The demand, however, featured prominently in the manifesto released today.

The manifesto encouraged reforms in the personal laws but added that such reforms must be undertaken with the participation and consent of the community concerned. It promised to review all laws that interfered with the right to privacy and make suitable amendments where necessary. It promised to bring the police, investigation and intelligence agencies under the oversight of the legislature. The manifesto promised to “restore the voters’ trust in the election process” by matching the electronic vote tally with the VVPAT slip count.

The manifesto also promised to institutionalise the process of appointing the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) to ensure transparency and military consensus.

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