Want our vote? Here's your manifesto, OK?

Villagers in a constituency in Rajasthan have prepared a list of demands and want political candidates contesting the coming general elections to sign on it.

The idea came after it was found that wells dug under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) were doing more harm than solving the water problem in Barmer, part of the desert region.

Jal Bhagirathi Foundation, a non-profit organisation run by the scion of a former ruling house, Prithviraj Singh, decided the local community should set the agenda themselves. The foundation is involved in water conservation projects in more than 200 villagers in Rajasthan.

The villagers decided to partner with the local unit of an anti-corruption body, Transparency International (TI), and came out with a “development pact.” The pact details what work will be undertaken within a specified period of time, six months or one year.

“The pact says the elected candidate should visit the constituency within the first fortnight,” said Anupama Jha, executive director of TI. “Independent external auditors could be the local teacher or a respected elder.”

Jha is now negotiating with voters in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh for a similar thing. These voters had earlier threatened to boycott elections because of contaminated water supply. For TI, it is an experiment to see the response from all stakeholders.

However, the arrangement has a problem. Jal Bhagirathi’s programme manager, Mathews Mullakkal, notes that an M.P. cannot really have a say over what the panchayats do. So, it is also modifying strategy on what other issues it can get candidates to agree on in the area of water conservation.

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) elsewhere are also acting with some pace to get their voice heard by candidates and political parties of all shades. Agni, a platform by joint area action groups in 16 municipal wards of Mumbai, has brought out a ‘citizens charter’ or a list of issues they want the Mumbai MPs and parties to take note of. Gerson Da Cunha, former head of Lintas, among various other responsibilities, is convenor of Agni. “Our goal is to improve governance in Mumbai,” he said. “We have support from our grassroot presence in 16 of the 24 municipal wards.”

Similarly, NGO Oxfam is backing an initiative for an all-India people’s manifesto, a campaign to get people’s demands on the manifestos of parties. They have released manifestos for 100 constituencies so far.

Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, a national platform working for people’s health, which fights for healthcare as an entitlement for everyone, has also pitched in with a people’s health manifesto for the general elections.

The Congress manifesto and that of the Left parties have established how political parties are beginning to pay heed to the demands of civil society groups. Their manifestos have given space to some of the issues placed on the charter of demands by key NGOs and activists like Aruna Roy and Jean Dreze.

Days before the Congress released its manifesto, its representative, with those of the BJP and the Left parties, attended a meeting organised by Jan Manch, a platform of People’s Action for Employment Guarantee and the National Campaign for People’s Right to Information. One of the key demands, on making the rural employment scheme accessible to every adult, was promptly accepted by the Congress, leaving the NGOs pleased.

Aruna Roy says the manifestos are a step forward that parties have taken seriously, accepting some of the demands raised by the groups at Jan Manch.

Apart from having candidates and parties make promises in advance, the movement has also been occupied with exposing undesirable candidates, with the Association for Democratic Reforms, formed by a group of Indian Institute of Management professors, continuing its work started in 1999.

Former IIM-A professor Jagdeep S Chokkar said, “We launched ourselves in 2003, when five states went to the polls and began publishing data on criminal records. In response, 1,200 NGOs and groups across the country joined hands with us and work has been going on in every state now. We will be more than happy if more groups come up, provided they are not inspired by vested interests.”