It is time for voters to hold political parties accountable for the grand promises the latter make in their documents
There is a heated debate going on in the media about the merits and demerits of the manifestos released by the various political parties, particularly the BJP and the Congress. Why is there so much fuss about a manifesto when many voters do not read them fully or vote on the basis of themIJ The smaller parties like the RJD, the AGP, the JMM and others do not bother much about their manifestos. Telugu Desam Party’s late president NT Rama Rao came to power based on his one-page manifesto, which promised food, clothing and shelter. The BSP does not believe in a manifesto. But this does not mean that there is no need for them. Poll manifestos are seen as a promise that the political parties will strive to achieve if voted to power.
For the first time in this election, the Election Commission has brought election manifestos under the Model Code of Conduct. The Supreme Court stressed for its need in July 2013 while dealing with a case questioning the legality of offering freebies. Poll manifestos more often show the moon in the mirror. The same parties, without fulfilling the promises, come back to the people with more promises. Though the election results are not guided by promises made in the manifestos, the ritual continues. There are surveys which show that freebies and quotas have little impact on voters. The voters often go by the local issues and also the personal appeal of the candidates.
While the national parties focus on national issues, State parties are essentially confined to local and regional issues. Therefore, how can a voter make his or her choice based on these manifestosIJ What will the manifestos of JD(U) or RJD or YSR Congress or TRS promise on India’s foreign policy or security issuesIJ Can the TRS ever have a stand on GDPIJ What opinion will these parties have on India’s foreign policyIJ
The two national parties have many common issues. The Congress came up with a colourful manifesto, offering a 15-point agenda for social, economic and political transformation. It promises right to health, policies to lift about 800 million people into the middle-class and taking the GDP growth to about eight per cent and create 100 million jobs for the youth. It has also promised a number of measures to boost the economy, expeditious introduction of GST and a simplified direct tax code. It promises to work towards improving relations with Pakistan, help rehabilitate the Sri lankan Tamils, work on the India-China border resolution, and for Security Council’s permanent membership.
A close look at the BJP’s election manifestos from 1996, which began the era of the party bidding seriously for power at the Centre, shows a consistent pattern of fielding the core Hindutva issues. The language, the style, and the treatment of the issues vary, but the core issues are embedded in the manifestos.
The BJP has also listed various promises including containing inflation, addressing the unemployment, bringing back the black money, e-governance and rationalisation of the tax regime. The party has also promised to bring the GST tax regime while asserting that it will not allow FDI in retail. It has promised friendly relations with neighbouring countries, strengthening regional forums like South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, engagement with global forums like BRICS and Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It welcomes persecuted Hindus to India and talks of uniform civil code and a madarssa modernisation programme. It also promises women reservation Bill and strict implementation of women-related laws.
Social scientists like Dipankar Gupta claim that voters in India do not vote on the basis of manifestos and that they are only for the middle-class, political parties and the media. Most continue to vote on the basis of religion, caste and creed. Countless political campaigns are already taking place to attract the first-time voters vouching unprecedented growth and development in the near future.
Election manifestos play an important role in most countries. But in other mature democracies both voters and parties take them very seriously. In the UK, the issues committed to in the manifestoes cannot be contested in the Upper House. Similarly in the US the voters grill the candidates on their manifestos.
Unfortunately, in India these manifestos still do not have any legal sanctity. So far the belief is that if the party-in-power fails to implement the promises the people will vote it out. But that is not enough. Time has come now to make the political parties accountable for their promises in the manifestos.