In its bid to return to power in Punjab, the Congress party will be assisted by the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and renowned technocrat Sam Pitroda to prepare its manifesto for 2017 Assembly polls.
Already, Manmohan Singh has agreed to assist a Special Committee, to be set up for the State’s economic revival, and suggest means and measures for the same.
“We had a talk with Manmohan Singh and Sam Pitroda and both of them have expressed overwhelming response to participate in the meeting of Punjab Manifesto Committee,” said Manpreet Badal, head of the Punjab Congress Poll Manifesto Committee.
While Manmohan Singh was known for his structural reforms that liberalised India's economy at the time when India was facing severe economic crisis, Pitroda proved his mettle by taking telephones to every household of the country.
“After finalising the raw draft, the final manifesto will be drafted by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former chairman of National Knowledge Commission Sam Pitroda,” said former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, who was also a member or manifesto committee.
Earlier, Manpreet had stated that he may also meet Montek Singh Ahluwalia, India’s celebrated economist and former deputy chairman of the Planning Commission of India, to incorporate his suggestions to formulate party’s manifesto.
Manpreet, after committee’s meeting, said that manifesto would not be a populist one rather “a realistic agenda and roadmap for the progress of the Punjab”.
He said that the Congress national president Sonia Gandhi has already issued instructions that only those promises should be made in the poll document, which could be fulfilled.
He said that every section of the society will be taken care of while forming the party manifesto. “We are taking advice and suggestions from every category of the society while preparing the manifesto, which is expected to be released after October,” said Manpreet.
Bhattal, along with Manpreet Badal, met the representatives of various trade and industrial organisations and took their suggestions for the election manifesto of the Congress. Traders were quite assertive in their demands, asking the leadership to incorporate them in the manifesto.