Congress today came up with the third alternative for the people of West Bengal, depicting the Nehruvian middle path. The party manifesto was released by the Congress president, Mallikarjun Kharge, in the presence of the party general secretaries Jairam Ramesh, GA Mir, WBPCC president Subhankar Sarkar, and other senior leaders.
Speaking on the occasion, Kharge said, the Congress was fighting on its own in the state for the first time in twenty years. He said the incumbent government, which was there for 15 years, was marred by “corruption and control”, while the BJP was only indulging in the politics of polarization, hatred, and violence.
The manifesto aims at reviving Bengal’s economy, promoting investment, and generating employment. Kharge noted that Kolkata was once known to be the favourite destination for investments and jobs. But now, there are no investments, and the youth of the state have to search for jobs in different parts of the country.
The manifesto promises Rs 2000 monthly cash assistance for women, Rs 15000 annual assistance for farmers, and Rs ten lakhs health insurance cover for each family in the state.
He clarified that the manifesto does not talk merely about disbursing money, but about rebuilding the economy with relief, reform, and a better future.
He said, even after 15 years of the TMC rule, there was no change in Bengal. The state needs investment and creation of jobs, he noted.
He said, on the other hand, the BJP does not talk about the economy but about polarization and dividing people. He said the BJP only believes in promoting polarization and spreading hatred and fear.
Kharge said Congress has come out with the middle path shown by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, which believes in taking along everyone, while announcing that it will build industrial corridors, generate jobs, and empower youth.
He said that unemployment was the biggest problem in West Bengal. He announced that the Congress government will launch the Bengal Employment Guarantee Mission, encourage startups with funding, and encourage skill development.
The manifesto lays special emphasis on women's empowerment, saying that they will not merely be the beneficiaries, but the “drivers of the economy”. Besides, paying Rs 2000 every month to women, they will get free education up to the post-graduation level.
Maintaining that there was a serious law and order problem in the state, the manifesto made it categorically clear that no matter which party the criminals belong to, they will be strictly dealt with according to the law. It said, the “party raj” will be replaced by the “rule of law”.
Kharge said, Bengal has three options before it; one is the existing system that is of “corruption and control”, second is that of the BJP, which believes in polarization and spreading hatred, and the third path is the one offered by the Congress, which will ensure public welfare, generate jobs, and bring in systemic reforms.
Kharge said, the Congress believes that Bengal has not only to survive, but to again be the torchbearer for the nation. He said the Congress manifesto is a “serious, structured and honest” effort towards that end.
Speaking on the occasion, Jairam Ramesh said that the Congress was fighting on its own after 20 years. He said, " This will be a booster dose for the party workers and the people of Bengal, as the Congress manifesto provides a third credible alternative.”
Referring to the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls, he disclosed that the names of the grandson and the granddaughter-in-law of eminent painter Nand Lal Bose, whose illustrations are in the original copies of the Constitution of India, have been removed from the electoral rolls. He said the SIR was the dangerous weapon being used by the BJP.
Ramesh also referred to the debate in the parliament on the national song Vande Mataram. He said the BJP only tried to use the occasion and tried to target Rabindranath Tagore using Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s shoulders. This is how they tried to defame Tagore, he remarked.
“We believe the TMC and BJP are two sides of the same coin, West Bengal needs a new coin and not the old coin, one with TMC on one side and the BJP on the backside”, he added.
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