The Congress party on Friday released its manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections saying the polls present an opportunity to radically change the style of governance that has been in evidence over the past decade during the BJP’s rule.
Among the key highlights of the Congress manifesto is the commitment to conduct a nationwide socio-economic and caste census, a move aimed at gaining a comprehensive understanding of India’s diverse population to tailor policies that address the needs of every segment of society.
The Congress party has guaranteed to pass a constitutional amendment to raise the cap on reservations for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) to 50 per cent.
The manifesto promises to adopt the Rajasthan model of cashless insurance, providing coverage of up to ₹25 lakh for universal healthcare.
Read: Congress Lok Sabha election manifesto: caste census, 50% quota for women in central govt jobs
It also pledges to fill nearly 30 lakh vacancies in sanctioned posts at various levels within the central government.
Another crucial aspect of the manifesto is the commitment to providing a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Prices (MSP) announced by the government every year, as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission.
In the manifesto, Congress vowed to abolish the Agnipath program and direct the military to resume regular recruitment drives to attain full-sanctioned strength.
The Congress party outlined a plan to combine the efficiency of electronic voting machines (EVMs) with the transparency of traditional ballot papers.
According to the manifesto, voters will cast their votes through EVMs, but with a novel twist.
“Voting will be through the EVM but the voter will be able to hold and deposit the machine-generated voting slip into the voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) unit. The electronic vote tally will be matched against the VVPAT slip tally,” the manifesto says.
The manifesto underscored Congress’s commitment to protecting personal freedoms, promising not to interfere with individual choices regarding food, dress, love, marriage, travel, and residency within India. The party pledges to repeal any laws or rules that unreasonably infringe upon these personal freedoms.
“We promise not to interfere with personal choices of food and dress, to love and marry, and to travel and reside in any part of India. All laws and rules that interfere unreasonably with personal freedoms will be repealed,” it said.
In a bid to curb rampant defections, the Congress said it would amend the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, making defection—an act of leaving the original party on which an MLA or MP was elected—an automatic disqualification from membership in the Assembly or Parliament.
