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Cheap LPG cylinders to government jobs: BJP’s Rajasthan poll vows
The BJP manifesto for Rajasthan promises welfare schemes for farmers, women, and marginalized sections, and a probe into alleged corruption by the Congress.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday released its manifesto for the upcoming elections in Rajasthan, focussing on welfare schemes for farmers, women and marginalised sections, and promising to initiate a probe into alleged corruption by the incumbent Congress government.
In Jaipur, party chief JP Nadda released the manifesto that promised ₹2 lakh savings bonds for girls, 250,000 government jobs in five years, ₹2,700 per quintal as wheat bonus above the minimum support price announced by the central government, a scheme to protect the Aravalli mountain range, as well as cooking gas cylinders for ₹450 to beneficiaries of the Ujjwala scheme.
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“For other parties, the manifesto is just a formality. For the BJP, the manifesto is a road map for development, it’s a commitment to the people,” Nadda said.
He said the major focus areas of the manifesto were development, fulfilling the principle of “sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas, sabka prayas”, empowerment of women, poor, marginalised, scheduled castes and tribes, and farmers, and strengthening infrastructure.
“The Congress is synonymous with corruption. On the other hand, the BJP means development and progress,” he said.
Rajasthan goes to the polls on Friday for 200 seats. The BJP is hoping to take advantage of the state’s political tradition of voting out the incumbent and dislodge the Ashok Gehlot government.
Nadda attacked the CM. “Gehlot’s family has received contracts worth ₹11,000 crore. This shows how the Congress promotes dynasty, and corruption and Gehlot is an example of this,” he said.
He said 1.09 million crimes against women were registered in the state in last five years, farmers were not given loan waivers, the land of 19,400 farmers was seized, and 8,000 cases of atrocities against Dalits and tribals were registered.
The Congress has not released its manifesto yet.
For farmers, the BJP proposed to give a bonus of ₹2,700 per quintal over the MSP of wheat and compensation for those whose land was attached by banks due to farm loan payment default. In Rajasthan, several farmers had defaulted on payment from nationalised banks after the Congress promised a farm loan waiver ahead of the 2018 elections. Only loans from state cooperative banks were waived.
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The BJP promised a Lado Protsahan Yojana for girls; under this scheme, a ₹2 lakh savings bond will be created for each girl, similar to Ladli Laxmi Yojana in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh. The girl will get ₹6,000 per year in Class 6, ₹8,000 per year in Class 9, ₹10,000 per year in Class 10, ₹12,000 per year in Class 11, ₹14,000 in Class 12, ₹50,000 on graduation, and ₹1 lakh when she turns 21. Meritorious girl students will get free scooties on completing Class 12, the manifesto read.
The BJP also proposed to give training and financial support to 600,000 rural women under the Lakhpati Didi scheme to make them self-reliant.
Ujjwala beneficiaries will get ₹450 LPG subsidy, the cash incentive under the Matru Vandan Yojana will be hiked from ₹5,000 to ₹8,000, students will get a cash incentive of ₹1,200 through direct benefit transfer to help them purchase educational goods, the manifesto promised.
Other major proposals included the opening of a Rajasthan Institute of Technology and a Rajasthan Institute of Medical Sciences in each division of the state, ₹40,000 crore to upgrade and improve health infrastructure, appointment of 15,000 doctors and 20,000 paramedic staff.
The BJP also proposed to establish regional heritage centres with a corpus of ₹800 crore to promote the culture, music, literature and cuisine of each region of Rajasthan, carry out development work at the Mangadh Dham and promote it as a symbol of the sacrifice of the tribal community. Mangadh Dham is a memorial in Banswara district in memory of tribal leader Govind Guru and tribal people.
Among other proposals were a green corridor to protect the Aravalli ranges and a Thar conservation mission with an investment of ₹50 crore to prevent desertification.
Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said the manifesto will help power Rajasthan’s growth over the next five years.
“We want industry and investment to increase in Rajasthan, which will help increase the income and employment. With increase in income, we can invest more resources and help improve standard of life of the poor,” he said.
Congress spokesperson Swarnim Chaturvedi said the BJP manifesto was lacklustre and did not have any vision.
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“BJP is promising gas cylinders at ₹450. First PM Modi said gas cylinders will be given at ₹500 now they are promising ₹450. Why don’t they give it in the entire country? The BJP in 2018 too promised to bring down inflation but failed to do so… Congress worked to give benefits to the people,” he said.
Several leaders including Rajasthan election in-charge Pralhad Joshi, state in-charge Arun Singh, state BJP chief CP Joshi, former CM Vasundhara Raje, Union ministers Arjun Ram Meghwal and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and deputy leader of the Opposition Satish Poonia were present at the launch of the manifesto.
