The party says it is inclusive and secular, does not function on a personality cult and is deeply committed to strengthening India’s democratic institutions. But the past record renders each of these claims hollow
The Congress manifesto is out. What the party says and what the party does provides an interesting contrast, be it inclusiveness, secularism, commitment to democratic institutions or the personality cult. The party’s basket of promises, if returned to power, is similarly unconvincing.
Here is a look: The mantra of ‘inclusive democracy’ is probably the most false and vacuous claim made by the Congress in its manifesto. It claims that the party’s central values “resonate the very idea of India” which revolves around diversity, pluralism and inclusion. At another point, the manifesto says, “We believe in a simple universal truth: Equity and opportunity for all. This is what distinguishes the Congress from the ‘exclusionary politics’ of the Bharatiya Janata Party”.
However, one glance at the manifesto and one realises what the Congress means by ‘inclusiveness’. Barring a fleeting reference to Mahatma Gandhi, the document only mentions schemes named after Rajiv Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. Everyone else — all other national leaders and stalwarts of the Congress — stands excluded. Yet, the party accuses its main rival, the BJP, of practicing ‘exclusionary politics’.
Here are some examples of the ‘inclusiveness’ of the Congress: The Indira Awaas Yojana and the Rajiv Awaas Yojana will be expanded to cover all poor rural and urban households (page 10). All Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students fulfilling the admission criteria will be provided with universal access to the Rajiv Gandhi Research Fellowships (Page 22). The Indian National Congress will ensure that the existing Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe candidates will be extended to students belonging to Other Backward Classes (page 23). The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan, launched by the Congress-led UPA Government, will be implemented to ensure high quality sporting facilities in every block of the country (page 30).
The party has promised to ensure greater access to electricity; 100 per cent access in urban areas from the current 94 per cent and 90 per cent access in rural areas from current the 67.3 per cent under the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (page 38). It has also promised to ensure accelerated implementation of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission and launch a National Wind Energy Mission (page 38).
With the 74th Amendment and through the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, the party claims to have given a major impetus to urban development in India (page 39). The Indira Awaas Yojana will be expanded to cover all poor rural households. For urban areas, the Rajiv Awaas Yojana will be expanded to cover all poor urban households (page 39). The manifesto also points out that the Congress-led Government launched the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission under which the party set the ambitious target (page 41).
This is the Congress brand of ‘inclusiveness’ — name every scheme after a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family and ensure the exclusion of everyone else!
Secularism: The manifesto claims that the party stands in sharp contrast to the divisive and disruptive ideology of the BJP. However, days after the manifesto release, Congress president Sonia Gandhi met the Shahi Imam of Delhi’s Jama Masjid and pleaded for Muslim votes.
On democracy and democratic institutions: The party’s claims vis-à-vis its commitment to democracy are the most dishonest. “We do not respond by subverting democratic institutions and blocking Parliament…”, says its manifesto adding that the party only responds through legitimate peaceful, democratic and constitutional means.
This claim sounds hollow when you find that Mr Bholanath Pandey, the man who hijacked a plane in December, 1978 to protest against the lok Sabha’s decision to expel Indira Gandhi, is now the Congress candidate from Salempur in Uttar Pradesh. A day after the hijacking, bombs were hurled at the residence of Samar Guha, the Chairman of the Committee of Privileges which had indicted Indira Gandhi for breach of privilege. So much for the party’s commitment to democratic institutions including Parliament.
On the personality cult: What the Congress has to say about the personality cult is indeed laughable. Having thrived on the personality cult and vigorously promoted it during the days of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, the party is now at sea and unable to offer a credible challenge to Mr Narendra Modi.
So, it makes the lofty claim that “no individual or authority can replace the values and processes of democratic governance”. It further says: “We do not respond by proposing either that the structures of democracy be handed to one single person or that they be viciously undermined.”
The party obviously thinks that the fascist regime that it imposed on India between June 1975 and March 1977 under the guise of the Emergency is forgotten. The Congress is the only party in India which equated an individual with the state. Its president Dev Kant Barooah’s infamous quote, “Indira is India and India is Indira” can never be forgotten. Nor can one forget Constitutional Amendments 39 to 42 which were brought specifically to provide relief to one individual — Indira Gandhi.
The 42nd Amendment even had a fascist provision that enabled the President, through an execute order, to amend the Constitution! Only Adolf Hitler had such provisions incorporated into the German Constitution. So, can we take the Congress seriously when it says “no individual or authority can replace values and processes”IJ
UPA’s vacuous claims: The manifesto claims that the 2009 mandate was to safeguard and advance the interests of India’s farmers and create an environment conducive to their prosperity. “This has been achieved in substantial measure”, it says.
But the fact of the matter is that farmers’ suicides in India have not abated. Statistics show that on an average nearly 17,000 farmers committed suicide every year between 2001-2011 and this works out to 46 suicides by farmers per day. Ten States recorded higher suicide rates in 2011 than in 2001.
Also, the Congress’s promise to implement the report of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission in letter and spirit is a joke. This commission submitted its reports between 2006 and 2009. Now, the Congress says, “Give us another term. We will implement this report”.
The party’s claim on the economic front must also be taken with a pinch of salt. After having brought down the GDP growth rate to just 4.5 per cent, the party claims that that it will restore India to eight per cent plus growth rate within three years. Well, who stopped the Congress from doing this in the preceding three yearsIJ Does the Congress deserve another chanceIJ