Bangalore, 19 Apr 2013 (DHNS): The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday promised to provide rice at Re 1 per kg to the poor, free laptops and tablets to PU and graduate students. However, many promises made during the 2008 poll are still on paper.
The party’s election manifesto “Vikasa,” released by senior leader Arun Jaitley at a hotel, has listed 19 steps for the integrated development of the State. Prominent among them are life insurance cover to all BPL families, free basic healthcare to all, supply of pure drinking water and 24/7 power and setting up of Bangalore Environment Corporation.
The ruling party in its 2013-14 budget had announced to provide rice at Rs 2 per kg to all BPL families, which is one of the major promises made in its 2008 poll manifesto. But it could not implement the scheme due to the model code of conduct for the Assembly elections.
A quick glance at promises reveals that the party is trying to woo all sections in urban and rural areas. The manifesto also has a separate set of promises for Bangalore. The party has dedicated 10 of the 38 pages of the manifesto highlighting the achievements of its government in the last five years.
The party appears to have no qualms about admitting that it has been facing internal rifts in the last five years.
The manifesto’s preamble proudly states that the BJP had managed to provide a stable government despite internal problems. “It is our earnest appeal to bring back the BJP to power for having provided a stable and effective government for the last five years in spite of internal dissentions. Chief ministers may have changed but the governance was never compromised,” the manifesto stated.
Interestingly, many promises in the new manifesto are repeats of the 2008 document. For instance, the introduction of direct election to the post of mayor and five-year term to the post is repeated this time, too. Though the Kasturirangan committee report on reforms in greater Bangalore had recommended several steps, including direct election to mayor, the government failed to implement the report. Free education to girls, doubling power generation and construction of quality roads are some of the other promises that have been repeated.
Further, the party has promised a large number of freebies and subsidised programmes and schemes, mostly aimed at pleasing farmers and the poor in the rural areas.
Speaking after releasing the manifesto, Jaitley said the party has performed well and completed its full term despite several challenges. “We are learning from experiences. The party has preferred to stick to ideals and values rather than individuals and continued to serve people of the State. In five years, the party has emerged clean and cohesive,” he said.