The Congress party is going full throttle to project its “achievements” after 100 days of governance in Punjab in an apparent attempt to rebuild its image at the national level as a development oriented, people and farmer friendly party.
The move comes after the party suffered series of resounding defeats in several elections, including lok Sabha, Assembly and even that of civic bodies, across country threatening its political extinction.
All buoyed up, the Congress is now gearing up to face the BJP in the battle of ballots in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, besides Gujarat.
From going ga-ga over the announcement of farm debt waiver to enhancing pensions, free education for girls to smartphones for the youth, checking drug menace to generating employment, 50 per cent reservation to women in civic bodies, and what not - the Capt Amarinder Singh-led Punjab Government has made every attempt to fulfil its pre-poll promises. It may have succeeded in going only halfway, but the Congress has enough to project itself as a “party that delivers” and that too in first 100 days of its governance.
Farm crisis — the national issue! The Capt Amarinder Government has outwitted the BJP-led Governments in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra by announcing the much-awaited farm debt waiver, not only as a political statement, but on the floor of the House - making it a government’s policy decision.
With this, it also became the first Congress-led state to announce farm loan waiver.
Even as the questions are being raised on how the government intends to fulfil its promise with “empty coffers”, the Chief Minister and the Finance Minister Manpreet Badal has clarified that the government would take over the entire loan “upon itself” and the farmers would be “free” from the debt the day the government would issue the notification.
The Rs 1,500 crore budget provision towards loan waiver would be just the first instalment of Rs 9,500-crore debt waiver the government has planned to cover in five-year period.
For a state like Gujarat, where farmers’ suicide is also a major problem, though not equivalent to Punjab’s magnitude, Congress is sure to use it as a major poll promise.
Gujarat stood at ninth place among states for farmers’ suicide cases, with the figures crossing 500-mark in 2013, 600 in 2014, while coming down to 300 in 2015 as per data provided by the Central Government. Among others, farming related debt is a major reason.
On the other hand, the farm debt and resultant farmers’ suicide is not an issue in the hill State. Still, the Himachal Congress unit is studying the Punjab model. A total of 644 suicides were reported in Himachal in 2014, against 554 in 2013 - most because of crop failure, with “farm debt” not listed as its cause.
Other than that, the Congress party in other States will also emulate the steps initiated by its Punjab unit to deal with issues common to all such as the girls’ education, monetary benefits under social welfare schemes, tackling unemployment, among other things.
The party has enhanced pensions from Rs 500 to Rs 750, compensation on marriage of daughters from Rs 15,000 to Rs 21,000, compensation for crop loss from Rs 8,000 to Rs 12,000 per acre, compensation to families of farmers committing suicide from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh, among others, though not as promised.
As far as employment is concerned, the Congress government has started talks with Ola and Uber, launched scheme to provide tractor and other agri-implements to youth, besides setting up skill development centres.
To fulfil its another poll promise of providing free smartphones to the state’s youth, the Congress is hopeful to get these “free of cost” owing to strong competition among the telecom companies, who, the Finance Minister Manpreet Badal claimed is “most likely”.
If that is not enough, the government has made a mark with its decision to provide free education to girls from nursery up to the level of PhD. Other than reserving 50 per cent seats for the women in all local Governments, the Punjab Government also secured 33 per cent quota for the fair-sex in jobs too.
“It is only logical to say that the Congress would highlight its achievements, including the farm loan waiver, in other states too…The party is fulfilling its commitments and promises it made with the people of Punjab that too within first three months of forming the government,” Punjab Congress president Sunil Kumar Jakhar told The Pioneer.
He said: “The Congress is putting its money where the mouth is…Despite all the financial constraints, the Congress Government has been able to fulfil its promises while utilising the available funds judiciously.”
Underlining the seriousness of the Congress party in waiving off the farming debt, Jakhar pointed that much before the manifesto was prepared, the party national vice-president Rahul Gandhi led a delegation to meet the Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding debt waiver.
“The BJP Government at the Centre has gone back on its promise...but we know that we have to fulfil our commitments. First major decision we took is waiving off farm loan as other things can wait, but not farmers as it was the question of their survival,” said Jakhar, adding that this shows that the Congress party means what it is saying.
Another Congress leader, who did not wish to be named, said that the Punjab Government’s decisions, especially on farm debt, would send across a message that the Congress delivers on public-centric issues.
“Earlier, Congress-led UPA Government, under Dr Manmohan Singh, gave Rs 70,000 crore loan waiver for the entire country. And, it is Congress Government in Punjab,” he added. Starting with a bang, the Congress Government in Punjab strike it rich by doing away with the red beacons on VIP vehicles, coupled with no foreign visits for ministers, curbing Ministers or MlAs from inaugurating projects and carrying their names of plaques, and decision to disclose assets by all state employees — with many other states too following the suit.