Today in Delhi , Congress released its manifesto for Lok Sabha elections 2019.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi, with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, and other senior leaders released party’s 2019 Lok Sabha election manifesto, a document titled India’s New Tryst With Destiny. Emphasizing on employment, poverty, farmers’ woes, women and an inclusive society above all else, the manifesto countered the BJP Bharatiya Janata Party’s 5 years’ of policies and measures at every step and called for a “new narrative” to come forth this general election.
1) Rahul said that the first point of address in the Congress’s manifesto would be NYAY scheme. “Let us try to find the truth, I told the manifesto committee. As it is we have a prime minister who lies to us everyday. Narendra Modi’s promise of Rs 15 lakh in every account has not happened. How much money can the Indian government give to the accounts of the poor, I asked them? They told me Rs 72,000.This will secure two things. For the first time, the poor will get a direct transfer of cash. Secondly, the economy that had been adversely affected by the Narendra Modi government with measures like demonetization, would be recharged,” the Congress president said.
2) Second theme in the manifesto is jobs. “I have come to know that 22 lakh government jobs are lying vacant. These, I promise, will be filled by March, 2020. Ten lakh youth will be given jobs in village panchayats. For entrepreneurs, we will have 3-year window where new businesses will not require any permission. We will bring jobs to India, so we will open the banks for new businesses,” Rahul said. He added that the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, “which the PM had called bogus” will increase the promise of work under the scheme from 100 to 150 days.
3) Rahul significantly mentioned a separate budget for Indian farmers, “to let them know for certain how much money they are getting, exactly how much of their loans are being forgiven”. He also added that crorepatis take bank loans and default often. “Anil Ambanis and Mehul Choksis steal from banks and run away. Farmers are honest, when they take bank loans and fail to repay them, they are sent to jail. We will not regard farmers’ loan defaults as criminal offences any more, but will see them as a civil offence now,” he said.
4) Six percent of the Gross Domestic Product will go to education, universities, colleges, IITs and IIMs, according to the Congress manifesto. “We will try to make the best institutions accessible to all,” Rahul said.
5) Healthcare was the last highlight of Rahul’s address. “The point of the current health scheme brought by this government has been to extract money from people and put them into pockets of private insurance players. We will give the poor high-quality medical attention,” he announced.
