Sops, freebies galore for women, farmers, youth by UP’s main players BJP, SP

Vibha Sharma
New Delhi, February 8

Two days before Uttar Pradesh polls for Phase-I on February 10, the two key contestants in the fray—the ruling BJP and main challenger Samjawadi Party—released their manifestos on Tuesday.

Apart from sops and freebies for around 24 crore residents (15.02 crore voters), including farmers, women and youth like free power for irrigation, jobs, free laptops and two-wheelers by the two parties, the BJP in addition also promised a minimum of 10 years of imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 1 lakh in ‘love jihad’ cases if voted to power.

The ‘Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra’ released by Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Adityanath stated that the party will ensure a minimum of 10 years of imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 1 lakh in ‘love jihad’ cases if voted back to power.

Apart from this, the BJP promised free power for farmers for five years, Ramayan University in Ayodhya, a Lata Mangeshkar Performing Arts Academy, strengthening the procurement of wheat and paddy at MSP and two-wheelers for meritorious college-going girls under the Rani Laxmi Bai Yojana.

The ‘Sankalp Patra’ also talked of two free LPG cylinders (one each on Holi and Diwali) under the Ujjwala Yojana scheme and free public transport travel for women over 60. The BJP also said that interest will be taken from sugar mills if there is delay in payment of cane dues to farmers beyond 14 days.

Shah claimed the BJP has fulfilled more than 92 per cent of 212 sankalps’ (promises) made in its 2017 (poll) manifesto.

The Samajwadi Party, meanwhile, promised 33 per cent government jobs for women and making farmers debt free.

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, who released the ‘Samajwadi Vachan Patra’ with a tagline ‘satya vachan, atoot vaada’, said  by 2025 farmers will be made ‘debt free’ and a ‘krin mukti’ law will be made to benefit poor farmers.  SP’s manifesto also promised MSP for all crops, two sacks of free DAP and five sacks of urea to farmers with less than two acres of land. Yadav said all farmers will get free power for irrigation, interest-free loan, insurance and pension.

The SP also promised an urban employment guarantee Act on the lines of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and 300 units of free electricity for domestic use. “There would be 33 per cent reservation to women in government jobs, including in the police department,” Yadav said, announcing benefits for girls and laptops for all students clearing Class 12 boards. 

The ‘Samajwadi Pension’ will be re-launched, under which elderly people, needy women and families in the BPL category will get Rs 18,000 person every year, he said promising Samajwadi canteens, ‘kirana’ stores and a helpline number for migrant labourers from the state.

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