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Promises for one million jobs in the manufacturing sector, a plan to develop the state into a hub for electric vehicles highlighted the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) manifesto for the upcoming Karnataka elections, which was released in Bengaluru on Monday.
The other major points included providing “ease of living” for apartment residents in Bengaluru through a consultative committee and an initiative to drive collaboration between small and medium industries and industrial training institutes. The promises are in keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pledge during the campaign for the elections that, if voted to power, the BJP would not distribute ‘revdi’ (gifts) but would offer fundamental governance changes.
At the school level, the BJP has promised a plan under which the state government will team up with eminent individuals and institutions for an upgrade of state-run schools. The document, named BJP Praja Pranalike, was released by the party’s National President J P Nadda. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and veteran party leader B S Yediyurappa were present on the occasion, along with other leaders.
The manifesto also promises to boost public healthcare infrastructure by establishing a clinic with diagnostic facilities in every municipal ward, and free annual health check-up for senior citizens as well as the identification of one million housing sites for the homeless.
For farmers, the party has promised a Rs 30,000-crore fund to set up micro cold storage facilities, agro processing units in every gram panchayat and modernisation of agricultural produce committees.
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In the tourism sector, the manifesto promised a Rs 1,500-crore plan to develop several circuits and corridors to transform Karnataka into the country’s top tourism hub.
Although former chief minister B S Yediyurappa had said the party would make “performance” its USP and not Hindutva, the party has promised to set up a committee to make recommendations on the implementation of a Uniform Civil Code. Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Assam have already set up such committees. Reviving the issue of illegal immigrants, the party said it would ensure introduction of the National Register of Citizens and “speedy deportation of all illegal migrants”, a pledge that could present legal and logistical challenges.
The party also reiterated its commitment to end the “unconstitutional” reservation for Muslims. Just before the polls were announced, the Basavaraj Bommai-led Cabinet decided to do away with 4 per cent reservation for Muslims and divide it equally between Lingayats and Vokkaligas — two politically influential caste groups in Karnataka. Nadda said the BJP’s vision for the state was “justice to all, appeasement to none”.
The manifesto was not without allure but these were small: Three free cooking gas cylinders to BPL families in a year — one each during the months of Ugadi, Ganesh Chaturthi, and Deepavali. In contrast, the Congress — which will unveil its manifest later this week — has offered many freebies in its campaign speeches, including 200 units of free power to all homes, 10 kg of rice to BPL households, Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to the woman head in every family and a monthly allowance of Rs 3,000 to unemployed graduates.
