BJP Manifesto: 5 strands that stand out in BJP’s Sankalp Patra

BJP Manifesto: 5 strands that stand out in BJP’s Sankalp Patra

FPJ Web DeskUpdated: Wednesday, May 29, 2019, 12:03 AM IST
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With the Lok Sabha elections just around the corner, political parties are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to wooing the voters. Whether it be BJP’s Sankalp Patra or Congress Will Deliver both parties are up their ante to woo the voters. The BJP which launched its 45-page manifesto on Monday which pitches nationalism as its inspiration. The Sankalp Patra also promises NRC in different parts of the country to push out infiltrators and zero tolerance to terror while reiterating its pet causes –construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya and scrapping of Article 370, 35A dealing with special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

Its a challenge while drafting a manifesto for a party which has been in power for past five years because it gives rise to an obvious question — of why these promises had not been fulfilled in the preceding five years. But the BJP addressed these questions by focusing on both what it has achieved since 2014 and seeking an opportunity to fulfill aspirations.

In Sankalp Patra, BJP considers five significant strands in the manifesto. The first is nationalism, bringing its pet theme of nationalism to the fore, the manifesto for polls starting from April 11 cited surgical strikes and air strikes targeting Pakistan-based terrorists to assert that “our security doctrine will be guided by our national security interest only”. It speaks of decisive action against terrorism, and taking steps to end infiltration. It promises to speed up defence purchases, though this will raise questions about how defence spending is not commensurate with its needs.

The second is the party in its manifesto states that it is “committed to the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Bill for the protection of individuals of religious minority communities from neighbouring countries escaping persecution. The party in manifesto stated, “We will make all efforts to clarify the issues to the sections of the population from the Northeastern states who have expressed apprehensions regarding the legislation. We reiterate our commitment to protect the linguistic, cultural and social identity of the people of Northeast. Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, and Sikhs escaping persecution from India’s neighbouring countries will be given citizenship in India.” The party has also reiterated its demand for “abrogation” of Article 370, “annulling” Article 35A in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The third major strand of the manifesto is it focuses on farmers and rural India. The BJP government in the past five years have been criticised for agrarian distress. The BJP once again reiterated its promise of doubling farmer income by 2022. The BJP also promised that it would invest Rs 25 lakh crore in investment in Agri-rural sector. The BJP also in its manifesto said that it will provide short-term new agriculture loans up to Rs. 1 lakh at a 0% interest rate for 1-5 years on the condition of prompt repayment of the principal amount.

The fourth strand is the manifesto’s promises on the economy and employment. In the past few years, the Opposition has criticised the BJP-lead government for economy and unemployment. BJP as unveiled the manifesto for the general elections made key promises such as Lower tax rates, interest-free agriculture loans up to Rs 1 lakh and steps to make India a USD 5 trillion economy by 2025. The BJP also added that it will improve  India’s rank in the ease of doing business; improve the share of manufacturing in GDP; increase exports; support entrepreneurs; and identify champion sectors where younger people can be productively engaged.

The fifth is GST, the Narendra Modi-government is still facing backfiring from opposition parties for its GST implementation. To which the BJP in its manifesto promised that it would continue with the simplification of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) process by engaging in dialogue with all the stakeholders and it will also work on simplifying GST process.

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