Will reverse BJP’s legacy of jobless growth, end crony capitalism: Congress
TARGETED APPROACH. Promises to reset economic policy on work, wealth and welfare; nation-wide caste census; Direct Tax Code; GST 2.0
Promising to reset the country’s economic policy on the three ‘Ws’ — work, wealth, and welfare — Congress, in its manifesto released on Friday, introduced a strong dose of welfarism and offered fair competition to end “crony capitalism that defines the Modi government.”
The manifesto, termed “Nyay Patra,” talks of a targeted approach to uplift youth, women, and farmers of their socioeconomic struggle, besides offering a “New Sankalp Economic Policy.” Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chiefs, Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi, former union minister P Chidambaram, and general secretary KC Venugopal released the 46page manifesto at Akbar Road party headquarters on Friday. The 2023 poll manifesto hinges on ‘Paanch Nyay’, that is five pillars of justice, comprising ‘Yuva Nyay’, ‘Naari Nyay’, ‘Kisaan Nyay’, ‘Shramik Nyay’, and ‘Hissedari Nyay’, party president Kharge said in his opening remarks.
Listing out the ‘Yuva Nyay’ programme, Congress guaranteed a new Right to Apprenticeship Act to provide ₹1 lakh a year for a graduate below 25 years of age, fill 30 lakh vacancies in sanctioned government posts, and write off student loans and interest accrued till March 15, 2024, as a onetime measure.
The lead opposition party also offered to provide free education till 12th standard and revisit the new education policy brought in by this NDA government. Congress also resolved to introduce a “Mahalakshmi scheme” to provide ₹1 lakh per year to every poor family as an un
BJP SHOWS WHO IS THE BOSS
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge (second from right) along with party leaders Sonia Gandhi (second from left), Rahul Gandhi (right) and P Chidambaram (left) releases the party's manifesto at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi on Friday.
conditional cash transfer. Additionally, the party said it will reserve 50 per cent of central government jobs for women starting from 2025 and scrutinise all genderdiscriminating laws.
MSP GUARANTEE
Likewise, for farmers, the party has accepted their demand raised during the agitation to give a legal guarantee to the Minimum Support
Prices (MSP) every year government.
Reaching out to the bottom of the population, the party guaranteed a national minimum wage of ₹400 per day introduce reforms in industrial and labour laws to restore balance between labour and capital.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi stated that the manifesto reflects what
announced by the
98 per cent of the population wants and not 2 per cent of the monopolistic business regime of the likes of Adani that Prime Minister Narendra Modi reflects.
POLITICAL FINANCE
He said Modi has created a monopoly in political finance by using Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Income Tax just like the Adani
Group did in sectors like port, infrastructure, and defence. The electoral bonds showed that political funding to the BJP was through “extortion” and putting “pressure” on the corporates, he alleged.
“First of all, we will need to understand what’s happening in the political structure today in India; what’s the foundation of the strategy made by the RSS, BJP and PM Modi. The way there is a monopoly of Adani on defence, ports, and infrastructure, similarly, PM Modi has formed a monopoly of political finance with the help of the ED, CBI, and Income Tax Department,” Rahul Gandhi said in response to question.
He warned that if Congress comes to power it will take action, because the electoral bonds document has all the details. “It is actually a chargesheet and Congressled govt will use it, he said.