What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
Lucknow: After women and youth, it is ‘focus on farmers’ in the third manifesto released by Indian National Congress (INC) ahead of Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. The first phase of voting will start tomorrow. While releasing the manifesto, Congress General Secretary and party in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that if voted to power, the party will waive off the farm loans on farmers in the state within 10 days.
The manifesto comes after the release of the earlier two manifestos by Priyanka Gandhi, along with her brother and party former chief, Rahul Gandhi.
Addressing a press conference here, Priyanka Gandhi said, “Jobs and inflation are the biggest issues. Like Chhattisgarh, farmers’ loans will be waived off as soon as our government is formed.”
“Additionally, paddy and wheat will be purchased at Rs 2,500 per quintal and sugarcane at Rs 400 per quintal,” she said.
The reference to the purchase of paddy and sugarcane is crucial given the concerns raised by UP farmers. Ruling Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government is yet to make long-standing payments to cane farmers in the state.
According to the manifesto, electricity bills for farmers will be halved, bills for Covid-affected periods will be waived and farmers who lost crops will get Rs 3,000 as compensation.
On the subject of jobs the Congress leader said 20 lakh government jobs will be made available. “A huge backlog of 12 lakh jobs will be filled in the public sector, including police, healthcare and education. Apart from this, eight lakh more jobs will be given,” she said, while promising financial assistance of Rs 25,000 to families most affected by the Covid pandemic.
The Congress leader also made a reference to the tragic attempted suicide of a debt-laden shoe trader of Baghpat, one of the towns voting tomorrow, and said that, “This is very sad but there are similar scenes across UP… small traders are hassled and there is no support from the government.” The trader had accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “not (being) a well-wisher of small traders and farmers” before consuming a poisonous substance.
Hitting out at the centre and the Union Budget, she said, it (the government) is all about making “big promises for big businessmen” and offering nothing to small traders.
On releasing separate manifestos, Gandhi said, “Everything is based on suggestions from the people. We talked to one lakh people… including common people, labourers, farmers and people of all classes. This is a public manifesto.”
The polling for the 403 member assembly is scheduled in seven phases from February 10 to March 7 and counting of votes will take place on March 10. Congress is looking to regain its lost ground in the state where it has been out of power since 1989.
