Days after the BJP released its manifesto for the Rajasthan elections, the Congress on Tuesday announced its manifesto for the upcoming polls. Among the promises by the Congress party included a slew of schemes for farmers and youth, caste survey as well as “stringent measures for hate speech”.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, releasing the party manifesto, said that the party makes “only those promises” which they can “fulfil, be it in the Centre or states”, while claiming that the Congress government has fulfilled 95 per cent promises of its last manifesto released in 2018.
Congress and BJP manifestos difference:
As both the parties have released their manifestos, it becomes interesting to track the differences between the two. While the Congress has promised “stringent legal measures for hate speech”, the BJP in its manifesto had promised to set up a special cell to investigate “anti-Bharat” sleeper cells in the state.
For the youth, the Congress manifesto has promised 10 lakh employment opportunities in five years, out of which four lakh will be in the government sector. The BJP, meanwhile, promised 2.5 lakh jobs in the next five years as well as the setting up of a Rajasthan Institute of Medical Sciences and Rajasthan Institute of Technology – modelled on AIIMS and IITs – in each division.
Further, in the BJP’s manifesto, party national president JP Nadda had claimed that the land of 19,400 farmers has been seized, and that the party will formulate a policy to ensure such farmers are compensated. It also said that a notification to ensure that no farmlands are seized will be issued. The Congress has said that the government will form a commission, headed by a high court judge, which will hold a hearing before taking a decision on seizing farmlands.
The Congress has also promised to to enact a law to implement the MSP, to be called the Minimum Support Price Guarantee Act, which will implement the Swaminathan Committee’s recommendations.
For women’s safety, the Congress has promised to install CCTV cameras in public places and security guards in every village and urban ward. It has also promised to ensure 33 per cent reservation for women in cooperative institutions as well as in the police force, a move which the BJP has promised too, along with a women’s police station in every district as well as the constitution of anti-Romeo squads.
Besides, the Congress has also announced Rs 10,000 per annum for women heads of households while BJP had announced the Lado Protsahan Yojana where the government will provide a savings bond of Rs 2 lakh for a girl child.
The Congress has also promised free laptops or tablets for first-year students of government colleges and free English-medium school education, while the BJP has promised Rs 1,200 as direct benefit transfer to schoolchildren from economically weaker sections for their school bags, books and uniforms.
In the health sector, the Congress has promised that it will increase the amount of Mukhyamantri Nishulk Chiranjeevi Swasthya Bima Yojana from the current Rs 25 lakh to Rs 50 lakh annually. The party has also promised it will increase the facilities under free OPD/IPD in government medical institutions at the district and block levels.
The BJP has promised to launch the Rs 40,000 crore Bhamashah Health Infrastructure Mission to expand and upgrade health infrastructure in the state. It has also promised to set up 350 Jan Aushadi Kendras and at least one medical college in each district. The saffron party, which is eyeing to come to power in the state, has also promised to recruit 15,000 doctors and 20,000 paramedical staff along with adding 6,000 medical seats.
For LPG cylinders, the BJP has promised to provide it at Rs 450, the Congress has announced that Rs 500 subsidised cylinder will be extended to families under the NFSA (National Food Security Act) and BPL (Below Poverty Line) categories too. Now, the price has been reduced to Rs 400.
The Congress has also announced that stringent measures will be taken to curb incidents of paper leaks, and the BJP has announced that it will set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe paper leaks during the Congress rule.
While the BJP manifesto did not mention Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP), the Congress manifesto says that the state government will introduce a detailed plan for its staggered implementation.
One of the major poll planks of the Congress party is “caste census”, which the party has promised once it comes to power. However, the BJP’s manifesto has no mention of caste census.