Following KCR’s directive, work has begun to change the main entrance gate of Telangana Bhavan in Banjara Hills area to make it Vaastu-compliant and to alter the party’s fortunes. The BRS secured 39 seats in the 119-member assembly. But what has worried the leadership more is the spate of desertions of senior leaders ahead of Lok Sabha elections.
The Congress has released its manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha election, with jobs creation, development of infrastructure, and a national caste census among the major highlights.
The manifesto was released in Delhi by party boss Mallikarjun Kharge, who was flanked by senior leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram – who led the committee that drafted the document – was also present.
“This manifesto will be ‘nyay ka dastavez‘ (a document for justice) in the political history of the country. From the five pillars of the ‘Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra’ – yuva (youth), kisan (farmers), naari (women), shramik (workers), and hissedari (equity), 25 guarantees will emerge… ,” Mr Kharge said.
The overall theme of the manifesto is based on ‘work’, ‘wealth’, and ‘welfare’, the party said.
“‘Work’ means you must provide jobs. ‘Wealth’ must be created before it is distributed. ‘Welfare’ means taking care of the poorer sections,” the Congress said.
One of the biggest talking points is the caste census – a political hot topic that has been in the headlines since the Bihar government’s statewide survey was released in November.
In its manifesto the Congress vowed to conduct a nationwide census to identify and enumerate castes, sub-castes and their socio-economic condition, and amend the Constitution to raise the 50 per cent cap on quota for marginalised groups – i.e., scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, and other backward classes.
The party has also promised to implement MSP, or minimum support price, for farmer growing cash crops. The MSP issue has been at the heart of protests by farmers since 2020, when lakhs from across the country went on a months-long agitation against the centre’s (now-scrapped) three farm laws.
The Congress has said it will give a permanent legal guarantee for MSP – a core demand for protesting farmers – based on the formula recommended by the Swaminathan Commission.
The party also vowed to eliminate poverty by improving the fortunes of 23 crore people over the next decade. Mr Chidambaram attacked the BJP as a “government of the rich, by the rich, and for the rich”, and said it is “driven by the interests of the top 1 per cent”.
“… but we will look at the bottom 50 per cent. The bottom 50 per cent is as important. It has been estimated 23 crore people are still poor in this country. The UPA lifted 24 crore people out of poverty and we promise, if the Congress-led government comes to power in 2024, we will lift 23 crore in 10 years.”
As part of this promise – and to empower women – the Congress said it would launch a ‘Mahalakshmi’ scheme to provide an unconditional cash transfer of Rs 1 lakh per year to the oldest female member of every poor family. Beneficiaries will be identified as those from the bottom level of the income pyramid.
Inequality of income and opportunity remain India’s ugliest truth. It is the moral and political responsibility of any government to ensure that every family is assured of a basic income every month, the party said.
Congress Manifesto: National Security, China
The Congress said it “recognises that national security is not enhanced by chest-thumping or exaggerated claims, but by quiet attention to borders and resolute defence preparedness”.
The party said it would work to restore status quo on the country’s borders with China and “ensure areas where both armies patrolled in the past are again accessible to our soldiers”.
This has been seen as a direct jab at the BJP over the military stand-off with China in parts of eastern Ladakh following violence in June 2020 that, the opposition has repeatedly claimed, led to New Delhi surrendering territory to Beijing.
In a move likely to resonate strongly among unemployed youth struggling with massive loan debts, the party said it would “as a one-time measure of relief” write off all student educational loans, including unpaid interest. This amount will be calculated as on March 15.
Banks will be compensated by the government, the Congress said.
The election will be spread over seven phases beginning April 19.
Votes will be declared June 4.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling BJP – which is yet to release its manifesto – are bidding for a third consecutive term. They face a combined challenge from the opposition, which has united (for the most part) under the INDIA banner led by the Congress.
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Congress will conduct a nation-wide socio-cconomic caste census to “enumerate the castes and sub-castes and their socio-economic conditions”. Based on the data, the Congress said, it will strengthen the agenda for affirmative action. The party said that it will pass a constitutional amendment to raise the 50 per cent cap on reservations for SC, ST and OBC categories.
The Congress said it will respect and uphold the fundamental right to practice one’s faith and the rights guaranteed to religious minorities under Articles 15, 16, 25, 26, 28, 29 and 30 of the Constitution. It said it will also uphold the rights of linguistic minorities guaranteed under Articles 15, 16, 29 and 30 of the Constitution.
Under current provisions, pension for senior citizens, widows and persons with disabilities under the National Social Assistance Programme is Rs 200-500 per month. Congress said it will raise this amount to Rs 1,000 per month.
The Congress has promised universal and free healthcare in public health centres such as hospitals, clinics, primary health centres, mobile healthcare units, dispensaries and health camps. Free healthcare will include examination, diagnostics, treatment, surgery, medicines, rehabilitation and palliative care.
The Congress manifesto promises a new Right to Apprenticeship Act to provide a one-year apprenticeship with a private or a public sector company to every diploma holder or college graduate below the age of 25. Apprentices will get Rs 1 lakh per year.
The Congress said it brought in the Right to Education (RTE) Act in 2009 which “transformed” education for children between the ages of 6 and 14. The party said it will amend the RTE Act to make education from Class I to Class XII in public schools compulsory and free.
The Congress said it will launch a Mahalakshmi scheme to provide Rs 1 lakh per year to every poor Indian family as an unconditional cash transfer. The poor will be identified among the families at the bottom of the income pyramid.
The Congress promises one-third reservation for women in state Assemblies that will be elected in the next round of Assembly elections in 2025. The one-third reservation for women will also be applied to the Lok Sabha that will be elected in 2029.
The party said it will give a legal guarantee to the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) announced by the government every year, as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission.
It promised to introduce reforms in industrial and labour laws to “restore the balance between labour and capital to meet our twin goals of full employment and high productivity gains”.
The Congress said it will restore the subsidy for diesel for sea-going fishing communities. If presumed dead, death certificates will be issued within three months, it said.
The party said it will “save” democracy and give citizens “freedom from fear”. “We promise to restore freedom of speech and expression including full freedom of the media,” the manifesto reads.
The party said it will amend the Press Council of India Act, 1978 to strengthen the system of self-regulation, protect journalistic freedoms, uphold editorial independence and guard against government interference.
The Congress said after consulting with the Supreme Court and the Chief Justices of the High Courts, it will establish a National Judicial Commission (NJC). The composition of the NJC will be decided in consultation with the Supreme Court. The NJC will be responsible for the selection and appointment of judges of the High Courts and the Supreme Court. It added that all vacancies in the High Courts and Supreme Court will be filled within three years.
The party said it will fill the “nearly 30 lakh vacancies” in sanctioned posts at various levels in the central government, teaching and non-teaching posts in central educational institutions, posts of doctors, nurses, paramedics and other supporting staff in central government medical institutions, and vacancies in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF).
The Congress said that as a “one-time measure of relief”, the amount due, including unpaid interest as of 15 March 2024, with regards to student education loans, will be written off, and the banks will be compensated by the government.
The Congress said it will establish a Diversity Commission that will measure, monitor and promote diversity in public and private employment and education. It said it would abolish application fees for government examinations and government posts.
The Congress promised to amend the 10th Schedule of the Constitution and make defection (leaving the original party on which the MLA or MP was elected) an automatic disqualification of the membership in the Assembly or Parliament.
It said it will abolish the Agnipath programme and direct the Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard) to resume normal recruitment to achieve the full sanctioned strength.
Another key promise in the Congress manifesto is restoration of full statehood of Jammu and Kashmir.