New Delhi: Pitching nationalism as its inspiration, the BJP manifesto for the high-stakes Lok Sabha polls promised Monday 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.
Releasing the manifesto, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah along with senior Union ministers also promised a slew of welfare schemes for farmers and others, a `100 lakh crore infrastructure investment and easing of the tax burden for the salaried people and the middle class in next five years.
“Nationalism is our inspiration, empowering the poor is our philosophy and good governance is our mantra”, Modi said, asserting that a BJP government will lay a strong foundation for a developed India by 2047, when India completes 100 years of
independence. Announcing 75 milestones for India to achieve at its 75 years of freedom in 2022, the manifesto mentions a number of goals under heads of agriculture, youth and education, infrastructure, railways, health, economy, good governance, inclusive development, women empowerment and cultural heritage.
The 75 definitive, time-bound targets will allow people an “interim evaluation” of his government in 2022, Modi said, adding that the manifesto was a “multi-layered and multi-dimensional” document that addressed the expectations and aspirations of different sections of India’s diverse society.
The manifesto, called ‘Sankalp patra’ (document of resolve), also reiterated the BJP’s commitment to scrap Article 370, which gives J&K special status, and Article 35A, building Ram temple in Ayodhya and also promised constitutional protection of people’s faith in the contentious Sabarimala issue.
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”.
“The nation is no longer helpless against the barbaric forces of terror. Any destructive ideology that destroys the atmosphere of peace and unity is and will be given a befitting reply. They are being paid back in their own coin, with compound interest,” Modi said.
On the issue of combating infiltration, the manifesto said illegal migrants have caused huge change in cultural and linguistic identity of some areas and promised to implement National Register of Citizens, currently underway in Assam, in a phased manner in other parts of the country.
The manifesto has devoted three pages to a host of promises to double farmers’ income by 2022 and promised to bring all peasants under the Modi government’s input cost transfer scheme, which gives `6000 to those owning agriculture land up to two hectares.
The party will give pension to small and marginal farmers if it is voted to power, it said.
The 45-page manifesto with a theme “Sankalpit Bharat, Sashakt Bharat” (committed India, strong India), three days before the seven-phase Lok Sabha polls begin, also promised housing for all by 2022 and piped water, LPG connection, toilet and piped water to every household by 2024.
Under foreign policy, the BJP has asserted that the rise of India is the new reality and it will play a major role in shaping global agenda in the 21st century.
The government will work to combat terrorism through global forums and get permanent membership of the UN Security Council, the manifesto said.
While India was branded as “fragile five” in 2014, the Modi government has turned it into a bright spot that is not only the fastest growing major economy of the world but also enjoys macroeconomic stability, it said, adding that the BJP aspires to make India the third largest economy of the world by 2030.
“This implies that we commit to make India a US $5 trillion economy by 2025 and US $10 trillion economy by 2032,” it said.
Promising to encourage a spirit of entrepreneurship among the youth, the BJP manifesto said its government will launch a new scheme to provide collateral-free credit up to 50 lakh for entrepreneurs.
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