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Farmer-centric manifesto Congress’ Trump Card

April 2, 2019

The Congress party which had last year won assembly polls in four states is eyeing a comeback by releasing a farmer and pro-poor manifesto. Congress has always criticised the Modi government for its failure to address problems faced by the farmers. Party President Rahul Gandhi announced that a separate budget will be prepared for farmers. After winning assembly polls in Rajasthan, MP, and Chattishgarh, the Congress had implemented the farm loan waiver scheme for providing relief to distressed farmers. Thus, by releasing a farmer-centric manifesto, the Congress is eyeing a comeback at the centre.

BJP spokesperson Avadhut Wagh lashed out heavily on the manifesto of the Congress party. He said, “Congress used to throw its promises of the manifesto in the dustbin, it has been happening so since the independence of India. They never kept their words. This manifesto is also election jumla and Congress cannot implement it. Congress has no concrete plan for the development and the upliftment of the poor and farmers.”

After releasing the manifesto, Congress president Rahul Gandhi stated, “Manifesto is a result of the year-long process. No false promises have been made. We are reflecting people’s voice. The Congress manifesto promises LGBT rights, rights for minorities, women empowerment and NYAY scheme.” He added that the manifesto lays major emphasis on employment generation, addressing agrarian distress and strengthening the education and health sectors. He said that farmers defaulting on loans will not be sent to jail as it will be treated as civil offence instead of criminal offence. Rahul also promised to simplify Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh PL Punia said, “The manifesto of Congress is very good and genuine. It fulfills the expectations of the common man. It is prepared for the people and is different from that of BJP. This manifesto encompasses every segment of the society.”

“This document has been prepared after consulting a large number of people from various walks of life. The purpose of the manifesto is to spell out the vision party, to move towards a forward-looking economy,” said former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Rahul also launched a scathing attack against the Modi government by stating that they have made false promises to voters. He said that PM Modi had promised to deposit Rs 15 lakh in the account of every Indian but he never fulfilled this promise. The Congress scion added that Modi government works for the interest of the business class. Taking a jibe at the Modi government he said that Congress party’s manifesto is people’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ and not one man’s view.

Congress MLC Bhai Jagtap appreciated the party’s manifesto saying, “This manifesto represents every citizen of India. It tries to bring the economy of the country back on the track, which was ruined during the last five years. We are talking of jobs for youths and creating a roadmap for employment. We are focusing on the infrastructure. Congress is taking steps for the security of women.”

When asked about bringing the separate budget for the farmers, he replied, “Party leaders were raising this issue for quite some time. This will be a historic step towards the welfare of farmers.”

Here are the main highlights of the Congress election manifesto:

Number of days increased from 100 days to 150 days under MNREGA scheme

6 per cent of the GDP to be spent on education

Bringing petrol and diesel under the ambit of GST

As per the NYAY scheme, households earning below Rs 12,000 per month would get annual assistance of Rs 72,000 (Rs 6,000 per month).

22,000 vacant posts to be filled till March 2020. 10 lakh jobs in panchayats. Entrepreneurs won’t need any permission for starting a business in 3 years

A separate budget for farmers on the lines of railway budget. Loan default won’t be treated as a criminal offence but a civil offence.

National security and internal security

Health facilities to be provided to poor sections of the society

Nawab Malik, spokesperson of the Nationalist Congress Party said, “Nyay scheme will remove poverty and strengthen the economy. After winning elections, Congress, NCP, and other allies will prepare a common minimum programme and we will implement our promises. Agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy. India lives in its villages. So, a separate budget for the farmers is a very good idea.”

The Congress document is the result of extensive nation-wide consultation, as claimed by the party leadership. The Congress leaders had interacted with a host of different sections to seek their views on their aspirations from the party. At the release of Congress’ manifesto, P Chidambaram said, “You will find there is enough in the manifesto which addresses the concerns of Dalits, youths, minority, the state of healthcare and education and that concerns the internal and national security.”

Comeback is a distant dream without efficient leadership in Congress

Vaidehi Taman

April 2, 2019

Looking at the leadership challenges and political crunch in Congress, its coming back to power in 2019 seems to be difficult. Maharashtra is a state in the western region of India and is India’s third largest state by area. It has over 112 million inhabitants and its capital, Mumbai, has a population of approximately 18 million. Nagpur is Maharashtra’s second capital as well as its winter capital. The politics of the state is dominated by the numerically strong Maratha-Kunbi community. This is the first time that the state has a Brahmin Chief Minister of BJP. There are national and regional parties in the state serving different demographics such as those based on religion, caste, urban, and rural residents. The Indian National Congress party has dominated the politics of Maharashtra since its inception in 1960 and also of predecessor states such as Bombay. Once Maharashtra became a bastion of the Congress party producing stalwarts such as Yashwantrao Chavan, Vasantdada Patil, Vasantrao Naik, and Shankarrao Chavan. Sharad Pawar has been a towering personality in the state and the national politics for nearly 40 years. During his career, he has split the Congress twice with significant consequences for the state politics. The Congress party enjoyed a near unchallenged dominance of the political landscape until 1995 when the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured an overwhelming majority in the state to form a coalition government. After his second parting from the Congress party in 1999, Sharad Pawar formed the NCP but joined a Congress-led coalition to form the state government after the 1999 Assembly elections.

Prithviraj Chavan of the Congress party was the last Chief Minister of Maharashtra under the Congress-NCP alliance that ruled until 2014. For the 2014 assembly polls, the two alliances between the NCP and Congress and between the BJP and Shiv Sena respectively broke down over seat allocations. In the election, the largest number of seats went to the Bharatiya Janata Party, with 122 seats. The BJP initially formed a minority government under Devendra Fadnavis but Shiv Sena has, as of December 2014, entered the government and therefore the government now enjoys a comfortable majority in the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha. In between, Sena and BJP both were at the verge of parting from each other and Sena was aggressive on BJP. However, finally, they both know that if they don’t come together, they have no future to make it in power. On the other hand, once the most dominant political party, the INC started sinking as their prominent leaders like Vilasrao Deshmukh and Gurudas Kamat passed away, the remaining leaders from Sanjay Nirupam to Milind Deora have their political differences. Ashok Chavan and Prithviraj Chavan got in power fight, Sushil Kumar Shinde and his daughter are silent, and Narayan Rane switched his loyalties to BJP. Kripashankar Singh is invisible in power play. If you look at the overall scenarios from rural to urban Maharashtra, Congress has leadership crises. They don’t have strong representation to retain power.

The five states that went to polls in early 2017 is a classic example of how the voters behave across different regions. In UP and Uttarakhand, in the northern region, the voters are more religious and caste conscious. Just the mention of Kabristan and Shamsham, or giving tickets to 99 Muslim candidates larger than their proportion of the population in the state or electricity during Ramzan and load shedding during Diwali can surcharge the sentiments and emotions of the people to polarise. Though polarisation took place on both sides, Muslim votes divided between SP and BSP, whereas, BJP became the major recipient of the Hindu votes. Similarly, in Maharashtra, selection of issues are very important for them. Independently Congress does not count much in Maharashtra. Actually, Congress was more drag on the alliance than contributing to the cause of victory. In Goa and Manipur, Congress though is the largest party by getting the highest number of seats; BJP got the highest number of votes. Hence, in the general election, the votes count more. Also having more alliances, BJP is in a better position in these states. Congress secured victory in Punjab purely because of Captain Amarinder. Congress may do well even during 2019 in Punjab. However, UP alone is six and a half times that of Punjab. Hence, to be relevant in the 2019 general election, by itself is very difficult for Congress.

Dalits in Maharashtra, who constitute a large section of the voters, may be moving away from the UPA and looking at other parties. This was evident when the Ramdas Athawale-led Republican Party of India (RPI) struck an alliance with the BJP-Shiv Sena, and Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar hinted that he isn’t giving any commitment to the Congress in Maharashtra. Political analysts say that this election, the Dalit community may not support one leader like in the past, but instead vote for convenience. Appeasement of Muslims automatically generates polarization of Major community. The atmospheres get surcharged and Hindus in considerable proportion unite. In this rocket age messages get transferred so fast, the information reaches all over within minutes to far-flung areas. One should be careful in choosing words while delivering speeches or the actions of leaders should be carefully crafted. If you remember a visit by Sonia to Imam of Delhi made waves sending wrong signals resulting in the rout of Congress in 2014. This impression has got rooted in the minds of the people. It is very difficult to be erasing the same. The leadership vacuum is perceived to be another issue plaguing the party. The party is felt to be devoid of leaders capable to hold high offices. The entire leaders are believed to be of average or below average caliber. Rahul is certainly not the one the people will be happy about.

The downfall of INC can be seen from the beginning of the UPA 2. The amount of corruption and other related things (price rise, inflation, reservation, unemployment, etc.) they did, this was ought to happen. Congress will not be able to form the government on its own strength (or for that matter, neither BJP). Congress’s traditional allies are strong partners prone to do back seat driving and political blackmail. So, they will be doing the running and Congress will be titular.

We all know that no political party is corrupt less and no party will ever fulfill its 100 per cent of the promise. We have to find out best among worst and it’s been clear from the ongoing scenario as “all the birds of the same feather are flocking together”. No party dares to stand and fight against BJP on their own. They have to unite with their rivalries in order to gain power which clearly reflects that this alliance is not for the sake of the country but for their own.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)

Nothing will be done or allowed to change constitutional position on Kashmir: Congress

Web Team

April 2, 2019

The Congress Party has promised in its manifesto that nothing will be done or allowed to change the constitutional position on Kashmir. The party also said that enforcement of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Jammu and Kashmir would be reviewed if the party is voted to power. The party dedicated separate sections to Jammu and Kashmir and Northeastern states.

The party said, it has stood witness to the developments in the state since the instrument of accession was signed on October 26, 1947. Affirming that the whole of Jammu and Kashmir is part of India, the party said, it also acknowledges the unique history of the state and the unique circumstances under which the state acceded to India that led to the inclusion of Article 370 in the Constitution of India. In contrary to this BJP is in favour of quashing of Article 370 as it grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir and limits Parliament’s power to make laws related to the state.

The Congress said it has long held the view that dialogue is the only way to understand the aspirations of the people of the three regions of Jammu & Kashmir and find an honourable solution to their issues.

The party advocated a two-pronged approach in the state if voted to power, first uncompromising firmness on the border and ending infiltration and second, absolute fairness in dealing with the demands of the people and winning their hearts and minds.

The Congress promised to review the deployment of armed forces, move more troops to the border to stop infiltration completely, reduce the presence of the Army and the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in the Kashmir Valley, and entrust more responsibility to the Jammu and Kashmir police for maintaining law and order.

The party said that building a Union of states that is India is a project of inclusiveness. Jammu & Kashmir and its problems deserve a large-hearted approach that will eschew muscular militarism and legalistic formulations and look for an innovative federal solution. Favouring for talks without any conditions, the Congress promised a solution through dialogue with all stakeholders in the state. It said, we will appoint 3 middlemen from civil society to facilitate such talks.

Congress also promised free and fair elections to the state legislative assembly to be held immediately. The party expressed deep concern about the cases of discrimination and harassment of students, traders and others belonging to Jammu and Kashmir in the rest of India.

He needs ‘a green Pakistani passport’; Gambhir slams National Conference leader

Web Team

April 2, 2019

Slamming former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for his statement demanding a revival of the posts of the Prime Minister and President of Jammu and Kashmir, Cricketer-turned-BJP member Gautam Gambhir on Tuesday took a swing at the J&K National Conference leader by posting an attacking tweet.

“@OmarAbdullah wants a separate PM for J & K & I want to walk on oceans! @OmarAbdullah wants a separate PM for J & K & I want pigs to fly! More than a separate PM @OmarAbdullah needs some sleep followed by a strong coffee! If he still doesn’t understand, then a green Pakistani passport,” Gambhir tweeted.

@OmarAbdullah wants a separate PM for J&K & I want to walk on oceans! @OmarAbdullah wants a separate PM for J&K & I want pigs to fly! More than a separate PM @OmarAbdullah needs some sleep followed by a strong coffee! If he still doesn’t understand then a green Pakistani passport

— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) April 2, 2019

Addressing a public gathering in Kashmir’s Bandipora on Monday, Abdullah said that he would work for the restoration of the posts of “President” and “Prime Minister” for the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

“Rest of the princely states merged with the country without condition but we had said that we will have our own identity, our own Constitution. We had our own ‘Sadr-e-Riyasat’ (President) and ‘Wazir-e-Azam’ (Prime Minister) too. By God’s grace, we will bring that back,” he said.

While addressing a rally in Secunderabad in Telangana, Prime Minister Modi also on Monday slammed Abdullah for his comment and targeted the allies of National Conference to come up with their stand on the demand.

Fast-growing Bengaluru overtaking Mumbai

Web Team

April 2, 2019

Mumbai is the most populous city of India, but it has a road length of mere 2,000 KM. Its population is more than 1.25 crore. The capital city of Maharashtra is also the financial capital of the country. The vehicle population in Mumbai is 36 lakh. The Silicon Valley of India, Bengaluru fares better than Mumbai with road length and the number of the vehicle. Thus, the title of the financial capital of the country of Mumbai may be in imminent danger. It may lag behind in comparison to fast-growing Bengaluru.

According to data, Bengaluru has over 80 lakh vehicles and 10,000 KM long roads. This city is the third most populous city of the country. Its population is more than 84 lakh as per 2011 census. The national capital Delhi has 1.5 crore vehicles and 30,000 KM long roads. Its population is 1.10 crore as per 2011 census. The vehicle population of Chennai is 56 lakh and that of Hyderabad is 52 lakh. It suggests that our Mumbai is on 5^th rank in terms of a number of vehicles. If richness is calculated on the basis of a number of vehicles, Mumbai is on 5^th place.

Bengaluru is the Information Technology hub of India. It is popular among Indian youths as it provides better opportunities for their career growth. Nowadays, every growing business also gives priority to Bengaluru and tries to have an office or a business branch in the city.

Sanjay Raut calls Kanhaiya “bottle of poison”, gets EC notice

Web Team

April 2, 2019

The Mumbai district election officer on Monday has issued a notice to the Shiv Sena lawmakers Sanjay Raut for violating the model code of conduct over his unpleasant comments against Communist Party of India’s candidate Kanhaiya Kumar.

In his column Rok Thok in Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana, Raut, the editor of the publication, called Kanhaiya Kumar a “bottle of poison”, adding that he must not reach Parliament. In the publication on Sunday, Raut stated that Kanhaiya Kumar must be defeated in the upcoming polls, even if it needed the BJP to “tamper with EVMs”.

Kanhaiya Kumar, the former president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University’s student union, is contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha poll from Bihar’s Begusarai.

Mumbai city Collector Shivaji Jondhale in the notice said that Raut’s statement showed “lack of faith in the deployment of EVMs and muddying the electoral process”.

The notice has asked Raut to respond by Wednesday and further action in the matter will be decided by the Election Commission.

Sena leader Raut spoke to PTI and said, “I have received the notice based on what I have written in Saamana. We respect the EC and I will respond to the notice and clarify my stand in the time provided.”

How much Minimum Income Guarantee Scheme is practical?

Web Team

April 2, 2019

All parties in the election season are engaged in using various gimmicks to get votes. In this connection, Congress President Rahul Gandhi has announced a scheme on March 25, 2019. According to this, after coming into power in the Centre, the Congress-led government will give Rs 6,000 monthly or 72 thousand rupees annually to every poor family. As per assumption, about 5 crore poor families or 25 crores poor people of this country will get financial relief. This number has been based on the presumption that at least five members will be in a family. It has been named the Minimum Income Guarantee Scheme, which will cost around 36 trillion rupees every year. The benefit of this scheme will be given to those beneficiaries who will have Rs 12,000 income per month. This financial assistance will be directly credited to the beneficiaries account. As per Gandhi, this scheme will be implemented in a phased manner. Rahul Gandhi also said that the strategy of implementation of this scheme has been finalised after discussion with eminent economists.

Why is Minimum Income Guarantee Scheme important

Even after 72 years of independence, poverty has not been removed from the country. According to the report of the Suresh Tendulkar committee, 21.9 per cent of the total population or 27 crore people were living below the poverty line in the Financial Year 2011-12. After elapse of 72 years of independence too, the situation is more or less the same. Former prime minister Indira Gandhi had also given slogan of “Garibi Hatao”, but expected results could not have come out. The Economic Survey Report for the financial year 2016-17 was published on January 31, 2017, in which the minimum income guarantee scheme was mentioned as a remedy for poverty reduction. Economists like Standing and Pranav Kumar Vardhan supported this concept by saying that all the citizens in a corrupt and socially backward country like India should be given a certain amount for their livelihood.

Advantage of scheme

Cash transfer in the accounts will certainly increase the family income. Supporters of this concept believe that poverty can be reduced with the help of this remedy. It is assumed that cash transfers in accounts will change the social and economic condition of the workers. To get the benefit of this scheme, people will also be motivated to open accounts in the Banks. It is worth mentioning that around 30 crore accounts have been opened under the Prime Minister’s Jan Dhan scheme, but the situation of financial inclusion will be further better with this exercise, thereby the demand and supply flow will increase. In this connection, two studies have been conducted in Madhya Pradesh and Delhi. The studies were done in collaboration with the Self-employed Women’s Committee (SEWA) in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh. The SEWA has been active for a long time for supporting poor people to come out from poverty. This study has been done in the calendar year of 2011.

Under these two studies, 100 families were given Rs 1,000 per month. As a result, it was seen that the beneficiary family deposited the amount in the bank in the name of the woman member, which was used when needed.

In 2015, Banerjee, Hannah, Crandler, and Olcan had studied the effect of government cash transfer schemes on supply of labour in six developing countries like Honduras, Morocco, Mexico, Philippines, Indonesia, and Nicaragua, and in their studies, they found that its impact was not negative on the supply of labourer.

It is also being said that this scheme will be upgraded to the status of the poor socially and economically. This will also minimise the level of corruption and will play the main role in removing the involvement of intermediaries in such schemes.

Disadvantage of the scheme

According to some economists, the availability of free money makes people lazy and the beneficiary doesn’t want to do work. Workers, who are working will also not taking interest in working, which will reduce labour supply. Receiving free money will develop bad habits. In the male members of the house, the tendency of intoxicant and gambling can flourish, because, in our country, there are still a large number of men connected with Banks. Therefore, the claim of the Congress Party to giving the benefits of this proposed scheme to women is totally illogical. For this, first of all, women will have to open accounts in the banks.

Implementation of this scheme will increase the pressure of work on banks. The Indian banking sector is already facing a shortage of human resources. This will also increase the pressure on the banks’ servers, which will require a lot of capital to update and buy new technology. Identifying the beneficiaries will be a difficult task for the government. In this process, the pace of corruption will increase. Ineligible persons can also be successful in taking advantage of this scheme. The cost of the proposed scheme will be Rs 36 trillion, but Rahul Gandhi has not disclosed the ways through which the Congress party will arrange such a big amount.

Conclusion

Some economists are talking about the success of this scheme. A few studies have been done in this regard, but such studies have been done on a limited number of people or in small countries. It cannot implement in a large country like India. In order to implement the scheme in India, Rs 36 trillion will be needed every year, for which the existing government schemes like MGNREGA, Public Distribution System, etc. will have to be closed. If this is done, then there will be an atmosphere of distrust among the people. In this regard, the possibility of misuse of money cannot be negated. The problem will also be in identifying the beneficiaries. In India, the volume of illiteracy and poverty is very broad. Hence, the illiterate people of the country can start to understand the benefits of this scheme as their right, which will have a negative impact on the country’s workforce.

Due to a decrease in the labor force, the biggest loss will be on the economy. The pace of manufacturing of various products will be reduced, causing an imbalance between demand and supply. This will also impact negatively on the development process of the country.

By Satish Singh

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of AFTERNOON VOICE and AFTERNOON VOICE does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.

BJP releases advertisement targeting Congress

Web Team

April 2, 2019

BJP on Tuesday released an advertisement titled “Janta Maaf Nahi Karegi” (people will not forgive). The party had used these slogans while contesting for 2014 election which had become popular.

A video of commoner who is seen attacking the party for raising questions pertaining to the work done by BJP in last five years was tagged by the outfit.

“You are questioning the authenticity of surgical strike and air strike. You are questioning China fleeing from Doklam. You raised questions against the statue of Sardar Patel. You are questioning the Supreme Court. You blame the EVMs for defeat in election. When the world is appreciating India you are questioning the World Bank,” a woman stated in the advertisement.

Besides “Janta Maaf Nahi Karegi” BJP had used popular phrases like “Acche din aanewale hai” (Good days are coming) and “Ab Ki Baar Modi Sarkar”(It is time for Modi government).

Will bring separate budget for farmers: Rahul Gandhi on Congress Manifesto

Web Team

April 2, 2019

Launching the 2019 Lok Sabha polls manifesto on Tuesday, Congress President Rahul Gandhi announced a separate budget for the farmers. He said that Congress manifesto was not made in a closed room and includes the wishes of the people. Senior leaders like former prime minister Manmohan Singh, P Chidambaram, party supremo Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were present at the launch event.

Calling the newly launched manifesto a sum up of Dignity and Self-respect, Manmohan Singh said, “Congress manifesto is called the “Jan Aawaz Ghoshna Patra’. This manifesto spells out what we would plan to do how to get rid of poverty. In 10 years of UPA 140 Million people were out of poverty.”

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala says, “Today is a historic day. Today’s Congress manifesto will help to make a strong and developed India.”

“Ruling party is trying to hijack the narrative with hyper-nationalism but the issues are joblessness, mounting farm debt, women’s security. He says ‘wealth and welfare’ is the bond between many ideas in the manifesto,” P Chidambaram exclaimed during the launch event.

“The real issues are unemployment, 4.70 crore jobs were lost under the Modi-led government. Farm distress is the second biggest issue. The third is the security of women and their children’s security and of their homes,” he further added.

Elaborating the party manifesto further, Congress president asserted that it focuses on five main themes. The NYAY scheme will give money to the pockets of the poor and push the economy to run which was stalled due to demonetisation. Stating that there are 22 lakh vacant posts, Rahul Gandhi targeted PM Modi for failing in keeping his promise of providing 2 crore jobs to the Indian youth. He also promised to fill the vacant posts by 2020.

The themes of the manifesto include:

Entrepreneurs won’t need any permission for starting a business in 3 years. 150 days of work guaranteed under NREGA

A separate budget for farmers. Loan default can’t be treated as a criminal offence but a civil offence

6 per cent of GDP to be spent on education; no to private insurance companies and public health to be strengthened

National security and internal security

Describing the manifesto as the “voice of people”, Rahul Gandhi further accused the Prime Minister for dividing the nation and spreading hatred.

Whatsapp introduces ‘Checkpoint Tipline’ to eliminate fake news

Web Team

April 2, 2019

Whatsapp on Tuesday launched its ‘Check point Tipline’ where people can check the genuineness of information received as messaging application takes initiative to eliminate fake news prior to general election in the country.

“Launched by PROTO an India based media skilling start-up this tipline will help create a database of rumours to study the inaccurate information during elections for checkpoint- a research project commissioned and technically assisted by Whatsapp” the Facebook owned company said in a statement.

It added that from Tuesday onwards people in India can submit inaccurate information or rumours received by them to Checkpoint Tipline on Whatsapp (+91-9643-000-888).

Once a user submits misinformation with tipline PROTO’s verification centre will seek to respond to the user if the claim made in the message shared is verified or not.

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