The Congress seems to have listened to the ‘sane’ advice of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav before drafting its manifesto for Jharkhand! This must have been the reason behind the party turning its eyes away from popular laptops for students and also from affordable ‘Aakash’ tablets launched by its own Government at the Centre. Promising nothing about the modern telecommunication gadgets, the Congress instead did a J Jayalalitha and announced free TV sets to all BPl families.
The national party contesting just over 60 seats out of 81 of its own in the State, released the all important pre-poll document with the hope to form a majority Government in Jharkhand. The Congress also thinks that the State needed systematic correction for political stability and for that the seats in the Assembly have to be raised up to 140.
Silent on contentious issues like domicile, the party harps on implantation of Sarana Code and infusing CNT and SPT Acts with their true spirit clearly to lure tribal vote bank. “Our commitment would be to ensure first right of locals on natural resources. If chosen to power, our Government would form a commission to look into all the disputed land transfers having taken place so far,” said Subodh Kant Sahay without defining locals and outsiders.
Sahay is the chairman of the party’s campaign committee for the Assembly polls and was flanked by State in-charge BK Hariprasad, PCC president Sukhdeo Bhagat and ClP leader Rajendra Singh on the release of the paper on Wednesday.
list of freebies from the party also includes wedding dress and gold mangal sutra to all the newly wed couples, health insurance of Rs one lakh to poor, 35 kg rice to all families, five kva free power to farmers for irrigation, MSP of Rs 2,000 per quintal for paddy and Rs 100 as additional pension to all pensioners. For minorities, UGC grants to all the recognised Madarsas serving Alim-Fazil degree, implementation of the Rangnath Mishra report, conservation of graveyards and imambadas etc and bicycle to all the students have also been promised by the Congress. There are some no surprises as well in the form of ‘BIPASA’: 24-hour uncut power, taped water for everyone and road to every village of the State. The party also vows to fill all the vacancies of third and fourth grades within 100 days in power, 27 per cent quota for OBC, distribution of ration cards, peace talk with naxals and loan waiver for drought-hit farmers.
“The manifesto is for a new Jharkhand that would be strong on economic and social fronts,” said Sahay not without his heartburn for “remaining outside power in State.” “The Congress has not got CM’s post even once. We have not ruled the State ever with full majority,” he added while overturning the party’s stints earlier with Madhu Koda and now with Hemant Soren.