Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, April 2
Presenting itself as the “only national alternative” to the ruling BJP, the Congress today unveiled its 2019 Lok Sabha poll manifesto, positioning itself as a pro-poor, pro-farmer and pro-freedom party vis-à-vis an “oppressive” saffron dispensation.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi launched the 54-page document, saying the forthcoming elections present a stark choice to the people.
“Will India be a free, democratic country or will it be governed by a pernicious ideology that tramples upon people’s rights; will India get rid of poverty or will it remain marked by inequities of wealth?” Gandhi asked, declaring that he had never broken a promise he made.
Anti-poverty and libertarian regime are the hallmarks of the 2019 Congress manifesto that sets 2030 as the deadline for poverty eradication using the flagship NYAY (minimum income support) scheme to give Rs 72,000 directly to 20 per cent poorest every year.
The document titled “Congress can deliver” makes five big promises — poverty elimination; freedom from farm indebtedness; job creation; women’s security and liberal ecosystem with no place for sedition (Section 124-A of the IPC) and criminal defamation (Section 499 of the IPC). The party said it would enact laws against religious discrimination and hate crimes like lynching.
The manifesto dwells on anti-corruption, pledging to investigate the Rafale deal; circumstances that led to the “escape of bank fraudsters”; and review of spectrum and natural resource allocation policies “to ensure transparency”.
On national security, which the BJP is leveraging to poll advantage after Pulwama, the Congress said it would raise defence expenditure that the NDA government had slashed, besides “insulating armed forces from politics”.
In its freedoms agenda, the Congress says it will amend laws to curb the powers of police and probe agencies to search, seize and arrest and take steps to ensure bail becomes a rule and jail an exception.
The manifesto’s big thrust remains on Nyay, for which Gandhi launched a poll slogan — “Gareebi pe vaar, bahattar hazaar”.
“Direct cash to poor will jumpstart the economy that PM Modi’s demonetisation jammed,” Gandhi said.
The Congress manifesto seeks to engage farmers hugely as Gandhi promised a standalone farmers budget and de-criminalisation of farm indebtedness.
“We won’t consider loan default by farmers a criminal offence. We will consider it a civil offence,” the Congress chief said, promising 22 lakh new jobs.
“All this is doable and we will do it,” insisted a confident Gandhi at a event attended by UPA chief Sonia Gandhi, former PM Manmohan Singh and party veteran P Chidambaram, who headed the manifesto panel.
He took swipes at PM Modi, wrapping up his attack by saying Congress manifesto was people’s “mann ki baat” and not some individual’s “mann ki baat”.
The manifesto also targets young voters (1.6 per cent of all electors), with the Congress bonanza to start new business.
“Come and open new enterprise, create jobs, no questions will be asked for three years; no regulations will be needed,” Gandhi said.
MAJOR THRUST AREAS and PROPOSALS
JOBS: 4 lakh central vacancies will be filled by March 2020; 10 lakh seva mitras will be appointed in gram panchayats; 3-year tax breaks for new business ventures
FARMERS: Farm debt to be considered a civil liability and not criminal; separate kisan budget; new commissions to strategise on agriculture sector
POVERTY ERADICATION BY 2030: Nyay (Nyuntam Aay) scheme — Rs 72,000 annually into the bank accounts of 5 crore poorest families, which is 25 crore individuals
ECONOMY: New GST regime with a single, moderate standard rate of tax on all goods and services; savings rate to be taken to 40 pc of GDP and investment rate to 35 pc of GDP
AFSPA to be reviewed: Review of AFSPA to balance security and human rights concerns; abolition of sedition and criminal defamation; CrPC changes to make bail a rule; limited powers to police to search and arrest
WOMEN QUOTA BILL: Women’s Reservation Bill in first session of Parliament; one-third jobs in Central government for women; abolition of rules that prohibit night shifts
ON JAMMU & KASHMIR: Unconditional dialogue with the people of the state; AFSPA to be reviewed; movement of troops out of Kashmir valley to borders
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via Today’s News Headlines
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