The Bharatiya Janata Party released its election manifesto on April 8, Monday. Titled 'Sankalp Patra', it was released by manifesto committee president Rajnath Singh. With the tagline 'Sankalpit Bharat, Sashakt Bharat', the BJP said it would deliver on 75 promises in India's 75th year of independence. Addressing the gathering at the BJP headquarters, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the party's manifestos aims at 'One Mission, One Direction' reiterates the party's 2014 campaign, which was 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'.
PM Modi said, "India is a diverse country with different languages and culture, which is why we have tried to make our developmental processes multi-layered." He added that the party has also tried "to make the manifesto multi-dimensional." BJP president Amit Shah, who spoke before the release of the manifesto, said, "The BJP manifesto that we are releasing today will fulfil the aspirations of people. We have 75 promises for 75 years of Independent India in 2022."
He added, "We have consulted millions of people before making this manifesto. This is an election about aspiration of people and I am sure that people will help us in taking our promises to every corner." Amit Shah said in February, the BJP held an event where it announced that it would send suggestion boxes across the country where people could contribute their thoughts to 'Bharat Ke Mann Ki Baat, Modi Ke Saath'. Amit Shah said the manifesto release is a culmination of that campaign.
What 'Sankalp Patra' said on key issues
The manifesto has addressed key issues, including national security, IT, and Agriculture. In its section on national security, the BJP manifesto mentions the surgical strikes and air strikes that were carried out during the tenure of the Narendra Modi government. The manifesto read, "We will continue to follow our policy of giving a free hand to our security forces in combating terrorism." Speeding-up purchases of outstanding defence related equipment and weapons and self-reliance in the defence sector via 'Make in India in Defence' also found mention, with the BJP saying this initiative will generate employment and encourage investment in the defence sector.
On combating infiltration, the BJP manifesto states: “There has been a huge change in the cultural and linguistic identity of some areas due to illegal immigration, resulting in an adverse impact on local people’s livelihood and employment. We will expeditiously complete the National Register of Citizens process in these areas on priority. In future we will implement the NRC in a phased manner in other parts of the country.”
Also finding special mention is the contentious Citizenship Amendment Bill under national security in the BJP manifesto. We are committed to the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Bill for the protection of individuals of religious minority communities from neighbouring countries escaping persecution.
In agriculture, the Sankalp Patra goes one step ahead and suggests that it will develop young agri-scientists to take advantage of artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain technology, big data analytics, etc., for more predictive and precision in agriculture. For villages, the BJP says in its manifesto that it will ensure that every gram panchayat is connected with a high-speed optical fibre network by 2022.
The Sankalp Patra, however, lacks any reference to the Smart Cities project and government plans on National Urban Innovation Stack (NUIS). NUIS has been conceptualised as a national digital infrastructure for urban e-Governance by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA).
Comparison of the BJP and Congress manifestos
Both manifestos cover a range of issues that have been a burden to citizens - from jobs to women safety as well as national security and countering terrorism. The Congress manifesto, titled "Congress Will Deliver" was launched on April 2.
A comparison between both manifestos indicates that the Congress manifesto is majorly focused on economic reforms while the BJP has prioritised national security. Both manifestos have kept national security as a top priority. While the BJP's security doctrine focuses on acting against terrorism and extremism, Congress has focused more on defence procurement.
The BJP for instance, mentioned in its manifesto that it will "firmly continue" their policy of giving a free hand to security forces to combat terrorism and about speeding up the purchases of outstanding defense-related equipment. Meanwhile. the Congress party said it will "reverse the trend of declining defence spending" under the NDA government. It also promised to ensure that defence spending is increased to meet the requirements of the Armed Forces.
"Congress promises to take strategic and hard measures to defend the territorial integrity of India and ensure the safety of our people."
Jammu and Kashmir
The northern region is another important promise in both the manifestos as the parties were related to restoring peace in Jammu and Kashmir. BJP said it is "committed" to overcoming all obstacles that come in the way of development in the northernmost state of the country. While BJP has promised "adequate" financial resources for the region, it also reiterated its stand for the abrogation of Article 370, which gives autonomous status to the state and allows grant of certain special provisions.
The Congress on the other hand clearly mentioned that "nothing will be done or allowed to change the Constitutional position" with regards to Article 370. It also promised to review certain clauses of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) and the Disturbed Areas Act in the State.
"Suitable changes will be made in the text of the laws to balance the requirements of security and the protection of human rights," Congress stated in its manifesto.
Northeast & NRC
BJP promised in its manifesto to expedite the process of completing the National Register of Citizens (NRC) process to weed out illegal immigrants. "We will continue to undertake effective steps to prevent illegal immigration in the north-eastern states," stated the BJP manifesto. It further committed to the "enactment of Citizenship Amendment Bill" for the protection of individuals of religious minority communities from neighbouring countries.
The Congress promises to "restore special category status to the north eastern states, withdraw the infamous Citizenship Amendment Bill and enhance financial assistance to the Autonomous District Councils."
