A look at Cong manifesto
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: March 27, 2014 -

A day ahead of the proposed release of the election manifesto of its arch rival, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP); Indian National Congress (INC) has come out with its manifesto for the upcoming 16th Lok Sabha election on Wednesday promising many things including inclusive growth, new right to health by increasing health expenditure to 3 percent of GDP, lifting 80 crore people out of poverty, creating 10 crore jobs, further GDP growth rate of more than eight percent in the next three years and take firm steps to contain inflation.

The party also pledged to encourage Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), push Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Direct Taxes Code (DTC) within one year of coming into power and expressed its commitment to create a national consensus on affirmative action for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes for jobs in the private sector.

The 15-point agenda put forward for socio-economic and political transformation by the party also included initiatives like promoting flexible labour laws, systemic efforts to recover black money and 33 percent reservation of seats for women in the Parliament and the State Assemblies.

Said to have been put together after more than 30 rounds of public consultations, it is, no doubt, one of the most impressive vision documents ever produced by the party in term of great attention to details and sheer size and volume of the party’s vision documents for the 2014 Lok Sabha election, which is more than twice the length of the party’s election manifesto brought out for the 2009 Lok Sabha election.

However, behind all these impressive promises under the cover of beautiful words and details, a closer look into the election manifesto of INC has revealed how so many unfulfilled, nay, failed promises of 2009 elections have been repackaged neatly to woo the voters this time as well while some others are flawed under the weight of their own self contradictions and confusions.

Even as promise of economic growth, reserving 33 percent of seats in Parliament and State Assemblies for women (which the party had assured to pass the Bill in the 15th Lok Sabha election so that the election to the 16th Lok Sabha is held on the basis of one-third reservation for women), implementing the recommendations of the Administrative Reforms Commission and welfare measures for the minorities and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are something that the ears of the voters have been used to hearing for the last two terms, the assurance for ‘strictest implementation of Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act of 1970 so as to end exploitation of the labourers and to improve their welfare and working conditions has only ran countered to the party’s recognition to ‘the need for creating flexibilities in the labour market, especially in the export-oriented industry.’

God only knows, how these two grand promises are to be reconciled to usher in an inclusive-growth society when the contract system is the surest preferred method of creating flexibility in labour market for the industries?

Last but not the least, some bold and grand promises like Right to Health and Right to Homestead through more Government spending are likely to remain just wishful dreams in a country whose fiscal deficit is fast rushing towards the danger zone with each passing day.