Manifesto pledges New India with farm relief, houses for all, NRC, repeal of Art 370
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday pegged BJP’s manifesto on the themes of “Rashtravad”, “Antodaya” and “Sushasan” even as the party declared it would provide `1 lakh interest-free loan to farmers for five years and spend `25 lakh crore for the development of villages during the same period.
The party also resolved to have zero tolerance approach towards terrorism and achieve self-reliance in Defence sector.
The BJP reiterated its commitment to repeal Article 370, which gives Jammu & Kashmir a special status, and Article 35A, which allows the State’s legislature to define permanent residents, and pledged in its manifesto to work towards ensuring return of Kashmiri Pandits to the valley.
It was for the first time since the foundation of the BJP in 1980 that the manifesto was released in the absence of its veteran leaders LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi. In fact, Joshi headed the 2014 manifesto drafting committee of the BJP.
While repeating the old themes of the construction of Ram temple at the earliest and implementing Uniform Civil Code, the BJP manifesto stretched the party’s vision and goal-posts further to 2022 when the county would achieve 75 years of Independence and to 2047 when it would complete a century.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi — who released the party’s manifesto titled “Sankalp Patra: Sankalpit Bharat Sashakt Bharat”, along with BJP president Amit Shah in the presence of senior leaders Rajanth Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Thawar Chand Ghelot and Ram Lal —said his Government have laid solid foundations from 2014-19 for a “New India” in 2022 by which time country would have achieved 75 goals.
The 75-targets included doubling farmers income, pension schemes for small and marginal farmers of 60 years of age and shopkeepers, ensuring “pucca” house to every family, availability of banking services within 5 kms to all individuals, LPG connection to all rural households and electrification of all households.
Modi said by the time country achieves 100 years of Independence by 2047 “we will be a developed country”. He said the BJP Government would address and work for “aspirational India with vikas to be made a people’s movement”.
He said the BJP Government has unrolled last-mile delivery to the common man and continues to work on the themes of “Rashtravad, Antodaya and Sushashan”.
Focussing on water conservation and availability of drinking water, the PM said his Government would, for the first time, set up a Jal Sakhti Mantralaya. He said a separate Ministry would be formed for fishermen also. Modi said he would work out how to maximise utilisation of river waters and facilitate “Nal se jal” (potable tap water) to all household by 2024.
Rajnath, chairman of Manifesto Committee, highlighted “main points” of the manifesto saying it is committed to ‘Rashtravad’, zero tolerance to terrorism and complete check on illegal infiltration across the borders.
The manifesto commits itself to pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, that seeks to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 to provide citizenship to prosecuted minority migrants, from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, who are of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian.
The Act doesn’t have a provision for Muslim sects like Shias and Ahmediyas who also face persecution in Pakistan. The bill has invited protests in Assam and parts of North-East as they don’t want them to be rehabilitated there apprehending change in profile.
Rajnath said while passing the bill, it would be endured that regional identity would be protected.
Manifesto, he said provides for Rs one lakh debt to farmers for five years on zero per cent interest. It also allocates Rs twenty lakh crore to be spent in next five-years and the benefit of Rs 6000 yearly to farmers having two acre would now be extended to all the farmers irrespective of their land-holding.
As per BJP’s ‘Sankalp Patra’, small and marginal farmers and small shopkeepers are to get pension. The BJP Government would set up ‘Rashtriya Vyapar Ayog’ for traders.
The party would see that simultaneous one time election be held to cut down massive poll expenditure.
Rajnath said the theme of good governance would continue saying the Direct Bank Transfer system had saved Rs one lakh ten thousand crore for the country in last five years.
As for health sector, the party said the Government initiated a programme to set up 1,50,000 health and wellness centres by 2022. “Till date 17, 150 health centres have become functional. We will take the programme to next level and target provisioning of telemedicine and diagnostic laboratory facilities at these centres by 2022 to ensure quality primary medical care to the poor at their door steps,” the manifesto said.
On higher education, it said the BJP would ensure increase in the number of seats in central law, engineering, science and management institutes by at least 50 per cent in the next five years.
“We will also motivate states to accordingly increase the number of seats in state institutions,” it said.
On national security, the manifesto said the Government would speed up purchases of outstanding defence related equipments and weapons and strengthen strike capability of the armed forces. Self-reliance in defence sector would be ensured, said the BJP pointing that the most modern AK-203 automatic rifles were being manufactured at Amethi under ‘Make in India in Defence’ initiative.
The BJP said while social security net for the poor and farmers will be expanded, it will take up capital investment in the country to a new height. “By 2024, we will make capital investment of Rs 100 lakh crore in the infrastructure sector”.
By 2022, the BJP said it would also accomplish- conversion of all viable rail tracks to broad gauge, electrification of railway tracks, completion of dedicated freight corridor project and equip all main railway stations with Wi-Fi facility by 2022.
