With the Haryana Assembly elections approaching nearer, the leaders of all political parties are trying to employ every measure possible to woo the voters. Employment, Agniveers, women and farmers continue to be targets of all the parties including Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress, Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and others contesting for the 90-Assembly seats in the State, evident from their poll manifestos and public rally promises.
Though both the ruling BJP and the main opposition party, Congress, have made big promises to the people in their released manifestos; JJP, INLD, AAP and others are also expected to unveil their manifestos in the coming days. Additionally, in their rallies, leaders of AAP, JJP-Azad Samaj Party and INLD-BSP combine have promised a slew of freebies, and schemes to woo the agrarian electorate.
Opposition leaders looking to upstage BJP in the State after a decade in office are fiercely targeting the party on the state’s unemployment rates, citing frustration of youths, farmers’ distress, and increase in crime against women and deteriorating law and order situation in the campaign for the Assembly Election scheduled on October 5.
Moreover, while the BJP manifesto was unveiled by Union Minister JP Nadda on September 19 and includes 20 guarantees, the Congress list of promises was released by party’s national president Mallikarjun Kharge on September 18 and includes, in contrast, seven guarantees.
Both the political rivals have released their poll manifestos for the election with a focus on the poor, women, youth, and farmers. Interestingly, both political parties have made promises which are similar to each other. The BJP has made 20 election promises, of which five are similar to those made by the Congress.
As far as their manifestos are concerned, both have targeted the youth as the unemployment rate in the state is higher than the national average. As per Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) data, the unemployment rate in Haryana is 37.4 per cent.
The parties have promised to create two lakh government jobs, which will cost nearly Rs 900 crores to the state exchequer. BJP’s poll manifesto says that their government will create additional job opportunities for five lakh youths. The national apprenticeship promotion scheme will also pay a monthly stipend to the unemployed.
Sources in the Government office said that vacancies were piling up across departments in the last many years. The State employs four lakh people, of which 2.75 lakh are in permanent positions and the remaining are contractual staffers. The rate at which state employees are retiring is far higher, and because of a significant gap in new hiring, many departments are understaffed.
Talking to reporters, the senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda hit out at BJP for not filling two lakh vacancies across Government departments. “Instead of filling vacancies in government departments, BJP-led Government had promoted contractual hiring through the skill employment corporation, thereby denying job security to the youth,” he added.
Asked about joblessness, a BJP leader said that the Government actively worked to create employment opportunities for the youth over the past decade.
An indication of BJP’s perspective on this, however, came from the party's manifesto for the assembly polls released. The party, seeking a third consecutive term in the state, promised two lakh government jobs and creation of 10 industrial towns.
Furthermore, the BJP has shied away from announcing a legal guarantee on the MSP for crops in the manifesto but has assured the farmers that they will continue to get MSP on 24 crops which were announced just before the elections. The party has also promised that the leaseholders will get permanent land ownership. In its poll manifesto, the Congress says it will legalize the MSP.
The BJP’s 20-point poll manifesto also includes two Centre-sponsored schemes — including the KMP orbital rail corridor construction and extension of Vande Bharat trains — besides many rapid rail services and the inter-city connectivity of metro rail services between Faridabad and Gurugram.
In regards to women issue, under its Lado Lakshmi Yojana, the BJP has promised that 78 lakh female voters, aged between 18 and 60 years, will get Rs 2,100 monthly. On the other hand, the Congress pledged Rs 2,000 per month. If this promise is kept, the State Government would be spending Rs 20,000 crore per annum on this scheme.
The Congress has vowed to provide nearly 49 lakh homemakers with a subsidized LPG gas cylinder, costing Rs 500. The BJP has also made a similar promise. Implementing this will cost the government almost Rs 2,000 crore per annum, and a subsidy of Rs 334 will be required on each gas cylinder.
Congress has promised a monthly pension of up to Rs 6,000 to elderly women, and differently-abled persons. The BJP has said that it will provide a dearness allowance and pension based on a scientific formula.
Nearly 35 lakh such beneficiaries are already getting a social security pension in Haryana. The BJP Government was paying Rs 3,000 per month, which the Congress has doubled. The state is spending Rs 13,000 crores on social security pensions annually.
The two biggest parties in the state have also promised to launch a housing scheme for the poor. The BJP's poll manifesto promises houses for five lakh poor people whose annual income is below Rs 1.8 lakhs per annum. The implementation of the scheme will cost nearly Rs 1,400 crores per annum.
Interestingly, Congress has said that it will provide a plot and two-room houses to around 3.08 lakh people.
On health front, the BJP has promised each family free treatment up to Rs 10 lakh under the Chirayu Aayushman Yojana. Senior members of the family, over 70 years, will get free treatment of up to Rs seven lakh. The BJP government was already running this scheme, which had benefited 15.54 people over the past six years. Meanwhile, the Congress has also promised free medical treatment of up to Rs 25 lakh as per its poll manifesto.
Meanwhile, addressing the public rally, senior INLD leader and Ellenabad candidate Abhay Chautala said that the party will soon release its manifesto. “We promised that under an INLD government, the old-age pension given by Devi Lal will be increased to Rs 7500. The government will ensure that every educated child from a household will get a government job, fill two lakh vacant positions in the first six months, provide Rs 21,000 as unemployment allowance, give free gas cylinders to mothers and sisters, deposit Rs 1100 into every housewife's account, ensure free drinking water, and provide relief on electricity bills,” he added.
Chautala further said: “Our Government will also cover education expenses, reintroduce the old pension scheme, make Anganwadi and ASHA workers permanent, provide hundred-square-yard plots to the poor, and ensure houses under the Devi Lal Housing Scheme. Additionally, all government portals created by the BJP-led Manohar Lal Khattar government will be abolished, and new ration cards will be issued to provide all necessary facilities. A separate capital and High Court will be established, and every village will have a community center for women to participate in devotional activities.”
Senior JJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, talking to the reporters, said that the JJP-ASP alliance will soon release its manifesto. Every section will be taken care of in the manifesto. He said: “If JJP-ASP government is formed in the State, 50 percent reservation will be given to women in teaching jobs in all government educational institutions. Along with this, 33 percent participation of women will be ensured in many schemes of cooperative sectors. The honorarium of Anganwadi-ASHA workers will be increased to Rs 21,000 per month, he added.
Political observers opined that the number of jobs created in the past decade was not enough to absorb all the youngsters finishing their studies; and jobs will play a major role this election. In addition to this, women empowerment, steps to stop crime against women are being raised by the political leaders in this election. Legal guarantee of MSP on all crops is another important issue in this election. Voters will keep in minding all these issues while exercising their vote to the parties in the election, observers added.
