BJP manifesto: UCC, One Nation One Election reiterated; expansion of welfare schemes

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has released its much-awaited election manifesto, dubbed as the “Sankalp Patra” outlining a comprehensive vision for the nation’s future. The manifesto launch event, held on 14 April, witnessed the presence of top BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP National President JP Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh.

The manifesto highlights a notable shift in the party’s focus, emphasizing a transition from “desperation” to confidence, promising stability and continuity after a decade in government. Key pillars of the BJP’s agenda include expanding the welfare net, upgrading public infrastructure, and increasing opportunities for various segments of society, including the young, women, the middle-class, and the elderly.

Among the major highlights of the manifesto are:

· One Nation, One Election: The BJP pledges to make ‘One Nation, One Election’ a reality, along with provisions for a common Electoral Roll for all levels of elections.

· Combating Corruption and Uniform Civil Code: The BJP reiterates its commitment to fighting corruption through transparent and accountable governance and pledges to bring about a Uniform Civil Code to ensure gender equality and protect the rights of all women.

· Welfare Initiatives: The party commits to supporting every ‘garib parivar’ (poor family) in lifting themselves out of poverty, with promises such as free ration for the next five years, establishing a price stabilization fund for vegetables and pulses, and continuing initiatives like Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas Yojana, PM Ujjwala Yojana, and PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana.

· Empowerment of Women: The manifesto aims to empower women through various measures, including the empowerment of rural women to become ‘Lakhpati Didis,’ integrating women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) into the service sector, and ensuring equal growth opportunities through legal and policy frameworks.

· Youth Empowerment: The BJP promises to implement laws to prevent paper leaks and ensure transparent public exams for the youth.

· Senior Citizen Welfare: The party pledges to expand the Ayushman Bharat Yojana to cover senior citizens, providing them access to free and quality healthcare.

· Agricultural Reforms: The ruling party has promised to set up new clusters for vegetable production and storage, position India as the “Nutri-Hub of the world”, focus on expanding millet cultivation among small farmers, promote research and international marketing to underscore its health and sustainability advantages, launch the National Mission on Natural Farming to promote nature-friendly, climate-resilient, remunerative agriculture for food and nutrition-secure Bharat, and further incentivize crop diversification to make agriculture sustainable and remunerative. The manifesto promises to launch a “Krishi Infrastructure Mission for integrated planning and coordinated implementation of agri-infrastructure projects”, expand irrigation facilities, create a network of grain storage facilities in rural areas, launch an indigenous Bharat Krishi satellite, and expand PM Kisan Samriddhi Kendras.

MTNews Desk