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NATION APRIL 12, 2024 | The Indian Eye 8

ELECTIONS 2024

With focus on youth & women, Congress

tries to woo voters with jobs and quotas

In its manifesto, the party says it will conduct a nation-wide socio-economic and caste

census to enumerate the castes and sub-castes and their socio-economic conditions

OUR BUREAU
New Delhi

ongress on Friday released
its manifesto for the upcom-
Cing Lok Sabha elections, an-
nouncing various poll promises to
woo women, youth, farmers, SCs, STs
and OBCs in the country. Congress,
in its manifesto, said that it will con-
duct a nation-wide socio-economic
and caste census to enumerate the
castes and sub-castes and their so-
cio-economic conditions.
On the occasion, Congress leader
P Chidambaram said, “The Congress
guarantees are concrete guarantees.
We have spelled out in English and
Hindi and in due course, in differ-
ent languages, what each guarantee
means and what each guarantee will
deliver to the people. Mr. Modi’s
guarantees are only in order to en-
sure that he guarantees the third term
job. Where is the guarantee? What
happened to the guarantee of 2 crore Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge along with party leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, P. Chidambaram and KC Venugopal releases the
jobs?” party’s manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections at AICC headquarters in New Delhi on Friday (ANI Photo/Rahul Singh)
The party also guaranteed that it
would pass a constitutional amend-
ment to raise the 50 per cent cap on So, I think, it’s important to under- akshmi scheme to provide Rs 1 lakh “It will have a big impact as we have
reservations for SC, ST and OBC. stand that this election is a funda- per year to every poor Indian family delivered the promises that we have
According to the manifesto, the par- mentally different election. I don’t as an unconditional cash transfer. made earlier and will do this time as
ty said that the Rajasthan model of think democracy has been as much The party promised to reserve 50 per well. But, the BJP has forgotten what
cashless insurance up to Rs 25 lakhs as at risk. The Constitution has been cent of central government jobs for promises they’ve made.”
will be adopted for universal health- as much as at risk as it is today,” he women starting in 2025. After Congress released its elec-
care. added. Congress will give a legal guaran- tion manifesto for the Lok Sabha
On the occasion, Congress lead- For youth, the Congress guaran- tee to the Minimum Support Prices polls, BJP leader Rajendra Rathore
er Rahul Gandhi said that it is im- tees a new Right to Apprenticeship (MSP) announced by the govern- took a jibe at the Congress, saying
portant to understand that this elec- Act to provide a one year apprentice- ment every year, as recommended by that its party leaders are talking about
tion is a fundamentally different one. ship with a private or public sector the Swaminathan Commission. The imaginary things and adding that the
“We do believe that it is very import- company to every diploma holder or Commission for Agricultural Costs Congress has not even fielded a suffi-
ant once this fight is won that we look college graduate below the age of 25. and Prices (CACP) will be made a cient number of candidates required
after the interests of the vast majority Apprentices will get Rs 1 lakh a year. statutory body, the manifesto read. for the formation of the government
of our people that India is not run The apprenticeship will impart skills, Congress said that it will scrap at the Centre.
by two or three large conglomerates, enhance employability and provide the Agnipath Scheme and return to “Congress is talking about imag-
large businesses, that it is run, by the full-time job opportunities for mil- the normal recruitment processes inary things; they have not even field-
vast majority of people that we are lions of youth. followed by the Army, Navy and Air ed a sufficient number of candidates.
not a nation of monopolies,” Rahul Congress also promised to abol- Force that will guarantee economic Even if all of them win, they would
Gandhi said. ish application fees for government and social security for our soldiers not be able to form their government;
“We are a nation where there is examinations and government posts. Former Lok Sabha speaker and they know that they should not form
fair competition among businesses. The party also launched a Mahal- Congress leader Meira Kumar says, the government,” he said.

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