With the focus on farmers, law and order, corruption and preventing migration of strife-torn people from urban areas, BJP president Amit Shah released his party’s manifesto in lucknow on Saturday. Beside other things, the BJP promised waiver of crop loans to small and marginal farmers taken from banks including district cooperative.
The manifesto coined ‘lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra’ (Pledge for People’s Welfare) also promises to provide interest free crop loan to small and marginal farmers, who constitute over 90 percent of agriculture land holders in the state.
The manifesto punch line resembles the 1991 Assembly elections with key lines being `gundamukt Uttar Pradesh, ‘bhrashtachar mukt Uttar Pradesh’.
The party also promised to set up a special pursed of Rs 500 crore for extending financial assistance to poor students for pursuing higher studies.
Shah said that if his party came to power, the state government would move the Supreme Court as a party in `triple talaq’ case concerning Muslim women. ``The party will first elicit views of Muslim women on this issue and file an affidavit in the apex court accordingly,’’ said Shah.
Shah said that the demographic changes in west UP towns due to communal tension was a serious matter and the BJP will bring a white paper on migration of population due to strife in Kairana town Shamli.
“The BJP had demanded from Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to bring out a white paper on migration from Kairana in 2016 but the state government chose to ignore the demand. If the BJP comes to power, then DMs would be held accountable for migration, a special police cell will be created and a Deputy Collector will be posted to prevent migration,’’ said the BJP chief.
Shah said that in each district Special Task Force (STF) will be set up to rein in land mafia and public and private land will be freed from illegal possession. He said that the STF will also be set up to probe cases of corruption of last 15 years of the SP and BSP rule. He said another STF will be set up to eliminate the mining mafia and all those involved in illegal business will be brought tom justice.
“A state of anarchy prevails in UP. The common man has been deprived of fundamental rights to life with security and dignity.
Crime against women, free run of land and mining mafia, patronage to criminals by the ruling party has emboldened the mafia to the extent that they were targeting the police and the government was helpless,’’ charged Shah.
Promising to end appeasement on caste and communal lines in recruitment and appointment to important public offices, the BJP chief said that all vacant 1.5 lakh posts in UP Police will be filled as per process without discrimination on grounds of caste and religion. “The SP regime indulged in scams in recruitment with impunity and Allahabad High Court intervened resulting in the removal of Chairman of UP Public Service Commission,” Shah said.
For the farm sector, the BJP manifesto envisaged an ambitious promise for setting up a `Chief Ministers Irrigation Fund’ of Rs 20,000 crore besides expediting projects under Accelerated Irrigation Benefit programme for completion of pending projects like Ban Sagar canal, Madhya Ganga canal and Arjun Sahayak projects.
Key highlights ——
-All appointments to grade 3 and grade 4 jobs will not entail an interview and 90% of appointments made go to people from the state.
-Promising to give laptops for ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas‘ tag along with a 1 GB internet for a year.
-The BJP government will set up 10 new international standard universities in the state with free Wi-Fi in all campuses and one engineering college and polytechnic in each district. The BJP also, promised to set up Madan Mohan Malviya Sanskrit University.
-A Gareeb Kalyan Card will be given to the poor with a guarantee of availability of Rs 6 lakh for constructing the pucca houses.
-The BJP also promises to ensure 100 percent electrification in the state under the ‘Ujwala Yojana’.
-Another promise includes the provision of lPG gas and toilets to every house and every village has access to a bank.
-Metro services in all major cities of the state and also the helicopter services via Pawan Hans helicopters in all major cities.
-Setting up of 6 IT parks in the states has also been promised.
BJP promised to set up 6 new AIIMS super speciality hospitals in the state