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Farmers, employment in focus as Congress unveils UP manifesto
The manifesto promised a minimum support price (MSP) of ₹2,500 per quintal for wheat and paddy, and ₹400 per quintal price for sugarcane.
The Congress released its third Uttar Pradesh poll manifesto on Wednesday, focussing on waiving all farm loans within 10 days of forming a new government and generating employment in the state where elections begin on Thursday. The manifesto comes a day before the first phase of the seven-phase polls kick off in Uttar Pradesh with 58 seats in the western part of the state.
Releasing the party’s manifesto —”Unnati Vidhan- the Jan Ghoshna Patra” — Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra identified employment and inflation as the state’s biggest issues and promised to generate two million government jobs, if elected to power.
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The manifesto also promised a minimum support price (MSP) of ₹2,500 per quintal for wheat and paddy, and ₹400 per quintal price for sugarcane. “Our government will provide 20 lakh (two million) government jobs. While 12 lakh (120,000) jobs will be given for filling vacant posts, 8 lakh (800,000) new jobs will be created,” she said.
“ ₹3,000 compensation will be given to farmers for crop damage by stray cattle. ‘Godhan Nyay Yojna’ will be started under which cow dung will be purchased at ₹2 per kg,” it said.
The manifesto has also assured free education from kindergarten to the postgraduate level for students from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities.
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The Congress has already released two manifestos -- “Shakti Vidhan” for women and “Bharti Vidhan” for the youth. The BJP and the Samajwadi Party released their manifesto for the UP elections on Tuesday, with several identical promises to voters, including assurances on job creation and free electricity for farmers.
Priyanka Gandhi said, if elected to power, the Congress will appoint a home minister from among the Dalits. The manifesto promised to reserve a seat in the Legislative Council for ex-army men, and withdraw cases against journalists.
State BJP vice-president, Vijay Pathak, however, slammed the manifesto. “The Congress is a national party and it should come out with promises keeping national perspective in mind. It has promised 40% reservation to women in UP but what about Goa or other states,” he said.
