BJP trains sights on Bihar polls with 'vision document'

In its list of poll promises to the Bihar electorate, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday promised land lots for the landless, free laptops for meritorious students, scooters for girl students, colour TVs for dalits, a Rs 500-crore venture capital fund and cheaper education loans.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley released the party's vision document for the coming elections to the legislative assembly. It has something for most sections. Notably, for youths, women and farmers.

"We need to rescue Bihar from backwardness. Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Janata Dal (United) have ruled the state for the past 68 years but have not done much. Our vision document is a charter for development," said Jaitley. "The Centre will always stand behind Bihar to help it. If a BJP-led government is formed, which we hope will happen, Bihar will rewrite history."

The party promises ample job opportunities to youths. For this, it says it will have constructed small shops and service kiosks on government land in every town, to be distributed among 100,000 unemployed youth. Besides, free land to landless families for homes.

Under the union's ambitious Digital India project, the party has promised computer training to one member of every family in the state. Also, one set of saris and dhotis to every poor family each year, and a colour TV set to every mahadalit and extremely backward community hamlet.

For girls, 5,000 scooters or a little over a hundred in each district every year, on the basis of the score in class XII or intermediate exams. Also, cheaper loan for higher education of girls.

Plus, 50,000 laptops to meritorious students of classes X and XII. And, scholarships for technical and professional education of students from the poorer sections.

For farmers, interest-free loans for agriculture. A separate budget for the agriculture department, if it comes to power. And, 12 hours of guaranteed power supply to farms daily, within the next three years. Beside, double-lane roads in rural areas.

For all homes, round-the-clock power supply has been promised by the end of next year.

Jaitley heavily criticised the Nitish Kumar-led alliance, saying it was time to end 'jungle raj'. The JD(U)-RJD-Congress alliance was opportunistic, he said, a contradictory coalition. "Political consistency is not their virtue. There can be no other result but to push Bihar into anarchy in case they win. A three-legged race cannot be run and even if it is run, it cannot be won."