Congress to shower sops in its manifesto

Raipur, October 09

Desperate to shift political equilibrium in its side in Chhattisgarh, state Congress is planning to release a sop-full manifesto for ensuing assembly elections. The Congress believes that its so-called manifesto seriously aims to benefit the common mass. The party has attempted to hit the entire spectrum through its please-all formula by touching factors like farmers, students, reservation quota, minorities, etc. The party’s poll manifesto committee has forwarded the proposed manifesto to Congress Working Committee member AK Antony for approval.

Ironically, the 21^st century political parties have started featuring their manifestoes as vision documents, which become bunch of rags to be torn and thrown in litter bins after they come to power. The Congress leaders, however, feel otherwise as they say their party is unique because its words and deeds never differ.

In its proposed manifesto the party promises to raise minimum support price of paddy up to Rs 2000 per quintal and give free electricity up to five horsepower to farmers. The party will also distribute 35 kg rice free per month to every family except income tax payers.

Besides, the party promises to give 16% reservation quota to scheduled caste (SC) community as was being given earlier. Presently, the SC quota in state is 12%.

The manifesto further envelops freebees like tribals to get 100% profit share on minor forest produce, foundation stone of Haj House to  be laid in 100 days as the party gets the state’s baton, boundary walls to be constructed around graveyards and crematories, constitution of minority and backward class finance corporation, caste certificates to be issued in one day, Chhattisgarh film city to be developed like Ramoji film city in Hyderabad, constitution of film development corporation, women reservation quota in government services to be increased up to 50%, revocation of coloured rations cards issued by Raman Singh government and regularization of shikshakarmis, contract employees and panchayat workers.

According to information, the party is in mood of announcing the manifesto soon so that its workers could reach door-to-door in every booth with concrete promises.

The poll manifesto panel has prepared the proposed document in just two meetings by taking significant inputs from senior party leaders and organization’s office-bearers.

Recently, the panel’s chairman Bodhram Kanwar and convener Mohammad Akbar were summoned by Chhattisgarh Congress incharge BK Hariprasada to Delhi where the three along with PCC president Charandas Mahant and Congress legislators’ party leader Ravindra Choubey discussed for over six hours on each point of the document before giving it final shape and forwarding to Antony.

Notably, to keep its vote bank intact and increase its reach in distant areas, the ruling party opened the government exchequer and started distributing bicycles and sewing machines to yellow ration cardholders, laptops and tablets to youth and paddy bonus to farmers. Knowing that the state is facing acute financial crunch as the government has taken debts in installments from Reserve Bank of India in the recent past, the Congress has decided to promise bounties to people through its manifesto.