The Congress on Saturday unveiled a welfare package for Gujarat that promises to heal the wounds inflicted by what it described as Narendra Modi’s privatisation model.
The Congress vowed to unlock the true potential of Gujarat, suggesting that Modi’s model of governance had proved anti-people and that he had facilitated abnormal growth of crony capitalists instead of creating a system that worked for the welfare of all.
The Opposition party said its manifesto, released by Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, reflected the people’s voice as the Congress had consulted 62 lakh individuals in an elaborate physical and online exercise.
While the Congress has been making significant election promises in every state, the Gujarat manifesto has gone far beyond the rest.
It promises LPG cylinders for Rs 500 each, a monthly unemployment allowance of Rs 3,000 for every youth, and Rs 4 lakh in compensation to each family that lost a member to Covid.
Scholarships ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 20,000 to poor students, farm loan waivers up to Rs 3 lakh, restoration of the old pension scheme, 300 units of free electricity, a minimum support price for all crops, medical insurance of up to Rs 10 lakh to every citizen and free kindergarten-to-postgraduation education to girl children are some of the other promises. In a direct challenge to Modi’s “Gujarat model”, the Congress declared that reckless privatisation of education and health care would be stopped.
The party also promised investigation into corrupt land deals and other alleged scams. Calling the manifesto “a festival of change”, Gehlot said it would be accorded the status of a government document in the very first cabinet meeting to establish the sanctity of every single promise.
Gehlot said that unlike the BJP, the Congress had a proven track record of implementing promises and cited the examples of the party’s governments in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
Besides making a political statement of change through its welfare agenda at a time Modi has been railing against freebies, the party also promised to change the name of the Narendra Modi Motera stadium back to Sardar Patel stadium in the first cabinet meeting.
This appeared to be an attempt to challenge Modi’s bid to usurp Patel’s legacy.
The Congress also promised to stop the attempts to “distort” the Sabarmati Ashram and protect the historical sanctity of the place.
Gujarat Congress chief Jagdish Thakor said the manifesto would help the party achieve its target of 125 seats.
The Congress has been out of power in Gujarat for 27 years and the devil of anti-incumbency hasn’t tormented the BJP in the state.
The Congress fought valiantly in 2017, bringing the BJP down to 99, its lowest tally in 27 years, but there is a perception that the electoral dynamics might have changed this time.
The BJP is perceived to have done badly in terms of governance, with the entire ministry having to be changed after the Covid mismanagement that triggered widespread anger among the people. But the sudden emergence of the Aam Aadmi Party might work to the detriment of the Congress because the anti-incumbency votes could get split.
The Congress, however, rejects the AAP challenge as a false media hype and insists that it is locked in a direct battle with the BJP.
