In an effort to captivate the younger demographic ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress will for the first time ever offer them the “right to employment” as part of its poll promise for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Additionally, the party is contemplating severe penalties for individuals found responsible for paper leaks in examinations.
The party’s top leadership is likely to make an announcement on the ‘right to employment’ during a public rally at Badanawar in Madhya Pradesh, according to a PTI news report, where both Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi will be present.
Top party sources said the promises will be part of the Congress manifesto which is likely to be finalized soon, once the Congress Working Committee approves it, the report also said.
Meanwhile, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday evening took to his social media platform X to confirm that the party’s Draft Manifesto based on “NYAY” for the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections is ready and was presented to him by the Congress Manifesto Committee earlier in the day.
From Green Revolution & White Revolution to Building PSUs, from Telecom & IT Revolution to Liberalisation, from Inclusive Governance to Rights Based paradigm — Indian National Congress has always been committed to the welfare and development of India.
Our Draft Manifesto based… pic.twitter.com/ioM1gaygnm
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) March 6, 2024
“From Green Revolution & White Revolution to Building PSUs, from Telecom & IT Revolution to Liberalization, from Inclusive Governance to Rights-Based paradigm — Indian National Congress has always been committed to the welfare and development of India,” Kharge posted on X.
“This is the first time ever that such a scheme to give ‘right to employment’ will be given to the youth of the country and some allowance may also be offered to the youth,” PTI quoted a source assaying, adding that even developed countries do not offer their youth such a scheme.
The party would also provide for a stringent law and punishment against those responsible for paper leaks in the country and will suggest measures to bring transparency in government recruitments in its manifesto, it was reported.
The measures come after Rahul Gandhi during the ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ has focused on the plight of lakhs of students suffering due to frequent paper leaks and cancellation of exams thereafter in some cases like in Uttar Pradesh.
The thrust of the manifesto is likely to be on the 5-nyay(five pillars of justice) promised by the Congress during party leader Rahul Gandhi-led ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’, as per the PTI report.
The party would also focus on giving legal guarantees to minimum support price and promising a caste-based census in the country for filling up the government vacancies.
The Congress is likely to give a thrust to some welfare measures like providing financial assistance to marginalized sections of society and ensuring that they get justice and be part of the state welfare measures.
This comes after the Congress promises made to the peoplehelped the party get into power in states like Karnataka, Telangana andHimachal Pradesh recently. The Congress manifesto committee, headed by formerunion minister P Chidambaram, met here to give a final shape to the manifestofor the Lok Sabha polls at a five-hour meeting last evening.
Several members of the party’s manifesto committee were present during the meeting at the AICC headquarters.
Chidambaram said the committee has given the final shape to the draft manifesto which will become the party document once the CWC approves the same.
The panel wound up internal deliberations for giving final shape to the party manifesto which is likely to include some innovative measures like an apprenticeship scheme for the youth to deal with the issue of unemployment.
“We have completed our draft manifesto. It’s a draft. It will go to the Congress working committee. It is the Congress Working Committee which finalizes the manifesto and then it becomes a Congress party document. At the moment, we have completed the work on the draft manifesto,” Chidambaram told reporters after the meeting.
The party’s manifesto committee also has senior leaders like Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Shashi Tharoor and Anand Sharma, among others.
“Once approved or amended by the CWC, our proposals will be released,” Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also confirmed on X.
The 16-member panel includes Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and former union minister Jairam Ramesh while former Chhattisgarh deputy chief minister TS Singh Deo is its convenor.