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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Congress tries to balance growth concerns with pro-poor image
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Congress tries to balance growth concerns with pro-poor image

Pro-poor manifesto promises to expand welfare programmes to elevate two-thirds of India into middle class

PM Manmohan Singh, Congress’s Rahul and Sonia Gandhi launched Congress’s election manifesto at the party’s office in Delhi. Photo: Rituparna Banerjee/Mint Premium
PM Manmohan Singh, Congress’s Rahul and Sonia Gandhi launched Congress’s election manifesto at the party’s office in Delhi. Photo: Rituparna Banerjee/Mint

New Delhi: Struggling to counter the high-decibel challenge thrown down by its political opponent Narendra Modi, the Congress party on Wednesday unveiled an election manifesto that focused on youth and women while promising to expand its entitlement-based policies to include rights to health, housing and pension.

While making attempts to bolster its pro-poor image, the ruling party, that has been accused of hurting the country’s prospects as an investment destination, sought to reassure the private sector, promising “ease of business, better infrastructure and swift progress".

India’s oldest political party also pledged to restore growth to more than 8% within three years, but the pro-poor manifesto also promised to expand welfare programmes to elevate two-thirds of the nation into the middle class.

In the December quarter the Indian economy grew by 4.7%. According to government forecasts, the economy will expand 4.9% in the current fiscal year ending 31 March.

The party that leads the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) also made an attempt to salvage its image, dented by a series of corruption charges involving some of its leaders, by proposing the appointment of a special envoy on illegal money stashed away in foreign banks and speedy enactment of anti-graft legislation.

Criticized for failing to create jobs for the youth, who are expected to play a key role in the April-May general election, the Congress manifesto, released with fanfare at the party headquarters in the national capital, announced plans to create 100 million jobs in five years.

Opinion polls give a clear edge to the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Modi, in the election beginning on 7 April. Modi, the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, has been trying to woo the youth by highlighting UPA’s record of jobless growth, slumping economy and corruption. Against this, Congress leaders Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, party president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi, have chosen to emphasize the “inclusive vision" of the Congress party, including its ethos of protecting the social and secular fabric of the country and its philosophy of taking everyone along.

“Ideology is not about lip-service or telling it to others. It is about enacting it in words and actions," Sonia Gandhi said while releasing the manifesto.

Political observers said the Congress was making a last-ditch attempt to sell the party as a moderate, secular and liberal option that emphasises inclusiveness in development and participatory democracy.

At Wednesday’s launch of its poll charter, the party highlighted the painstaking process it has initiated of preparing an election manifesto from inputs sought directly from people. The process, initiated and anchored by Rahul Gandhi, has included consultations with more than 10,000 people including youth, women, rickshaw-pullers, tribals, mining workers, fishermen as well as businessmen, held at 27 locations over a period of five months.

“The Congress manifesto has become a statement of homilies to the entitlement programme that already exists. It’s a last ditch effort to claim the left-of-centre space which is still vacant," Jai Mrug, a Mumbai-based political analyst, said.

Putting a brave face on the public perception of anti-incumbency, as projected in large parts of the media as well as many opinion polls, both the Gandhis sought to downplay criticism of Congress’s failure to enlist new alliance partners and disillusionment over primaries, a process to directly elect candidates.

The 48-page manifesto, titled “Your voice, our pledge", reiterated the party’s attempts to build an entitlement regime in India.

The Congress, which has enacted rights to information, education, food and jobs in the last decade, is now promising legislation that would give people rights to health, pensions, homestead or housing, social security, dignity and humane working conditions, as well as a right to entrepreneurship.

While rights-based policies are expected to please the Congress’ core support-base—rural and the weaker sections—Rahul Gandhi, who many in the party want to project as a future prime minister, also promised a stronger economy and more job opportunities.

“We are going to construct a manufacturing backbone that will give millions of people jobs," he said. The manifesto also promises an increase in India’s investment rates by 38% to create more jobs and to enhance resource for promoting skill development.

The manifesto was given a cautious welcome by industry. “The Congress manifesto provides an aspirational vision on many key concerns facing the economic life of the nation and the people. Inclusive growth is an imperative; however the wide variety of rights must be only based on sound economic health of the country," Sidharth Birla, president, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry said.

“The Congress manifesto is quite comprehensive in terms of its coverage. Barring some social agendas, the rest is what the country actually needs," Amar Ambani, head of research at securities house IIFL. “What is important and needed is implementation. A stable government at the centre with a will and commitment to implement the same is needed, which I believe only one of the two national parties can give, provided they are not impeded by coalition compulsions."

The manifesto criticized the BJP, and Congress leaders cautioned voters against what they called Modi’s “divisive" politics. “Modiji is an individual, but he represents an ideology, an ideology that is exclusionary, politics chosen by a handful of people and putting one against the other. This is an ideology which will hurt India. This ideology will be fought by every Congressman," Rahul Gandhi said.

“The decision (to field Chavan) was taken by the central election committee. As far as we know, Chavan is not debarred from contesting elections by any law," Sonia Gandhi said. Chavan was forced to quit as chief minister over allegations of his involvement in irregularities in the allotment of flats meant for war widows. The Central Bureau of Investigation had sought to drop Chavan’s name from the list of accused, but a special court in Mumbai earlier this year refused to oblige.

The manifesto has a picture of Rahul Gandhi interacting with common people on its cover page while the 2009 manifesto showed Prime Minister Singh and Sonia Gandhi.

Mrug, who said the manifesto “lacked punch" on the economic front, added that the “seriousness of the party" on the anti-graft agenda, as listed in the manifesto, was questionable in the light of the party chief defending candidates like Chavan.

The BJP termed the Congress manifesto a “document of deceit" and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) called it an act of “misadventure" by the ruling party.

“Their entire manifesto appears to be devoid of credibility, bereft of substance and seriously lacking in seriousness," BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

Brinda Karat, politburo member and senior CPM leader, wrote on social networking site Twitter: “They are claiming to reduce inflation in their manifesto even as prices go through the roof...double digit food inflation under UPA rule...It is an act of misadventure for them." x

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Published: 26 Mar 2014, 03:15 PM IST
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