The Congress, in its poll manifesto for the forthcoming lok Sabha elections, will promise legislation for more right-based laws to cover health and employment, besides focusing on the manufacturing sector.
Party president Sonia Gandhi will release the manifesto on March 21. The manifesto committee, headed by AK Antony, has given the final touches and the draft would be ready on Sunday. “It has been prepared after exhaustive consultations with the stakeholders through various mediums — including direct interaction of a number of groups with party vice-president Rahul Gandhi,” sources said.
Sources also indicated that the Congress would have sub-manifestos for different sections of society.
Besides Antony, other members of the panel are P Chidambaram, Sushilkumar Shinde, Anand Sharma, Salman Khurshid, Sandeep Dikshit, Ajit Jogi, Renuka Chowdhary, Pl Punia, Mohan Gopal, Jairam Ramesh and Digvijay Singh.
The party, facing a huge challenge this time round in the forthcoming parliamentary election to retain power at the Centre, will make promises of right-based legislations like MGNREGA, food security and the RTI its key campaign themes. The proposal is to bring health and employment sectors too under the purview of the basic rights of the citizens of the country.
With the issue of women’s security coming under focus of late, especially propelled by the December 16, 2012 gang-rape case, the party is considering a number of suggestions like establishing at least six women’s police stations in each district in the country. There is another recommendation to provide 20 per cent reservation in police and judiciary to women.
The party is also considering bringing into force certain types of affirmative action in the private sector given the fact that Government jobs are drying up in the post-liberalisation period.
The Scheduled Castes Cell of the AICC headed by Rahul’s close aide K Raju is learnt to have made a strong pitch for a legislation to provide mandatory quota for the SCs/STs in the private sector.
With unemployment a key concern amid the slowdown of economy, the party’s poll document is likely to unveil Congress’ intent to create 100 million new jobs for the youth by 2020. Rahul’s push to create some kind of minimum financial security to 70 crore people falling in the layer between the middle class and the below poverty line will also find some concrete formulation in the party's
poll document.