The Aryavarth Express
Agency (New Delhi): Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress leader, predicts the current government’s promises will falter like the ‘India Shining’ campaign, as the party gears up for the Lok Sabha elections with a manifesto focused on ‘justice’.
At a recent Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting in New Delhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress president, passionately declared that India is yearning for a new direction. He likened the government’s current assurances to the failed ‘India Shining’ campaign of 2004, suggesting a similar fate awaits them. The meeting, which lasted over three hours, resulted in the CWC empowering Kharge to finalize and announce the party’s manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Party officials K C Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh highlighted plans to disseminate the party’s promises down to the grassroots level. The manifesto, described as a ‘nyay patra’ (document of justice) by Ramesh, aims to paint a hopeful future for India. Kharge called on all party members to ensure the manifesto reaches every corner of the nation, emphasizing the importance of making their commitments known to every household.
Reflecting on the historical credibility of Congress’s manifestos since 1926, Kharge stressed that the promises made would be diligently fulfilled, underlining their feasibility and the party’s commitment to them. He praised the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, led by Rahul Gandhi, as a monumental outreach effort that brought the issues of the people to the forefront of national attention.
The meeting was attended by prominent figures within the party, including former presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, and other senior leaders. The manifesto, outlined by P. Chidambaram, who heads the manifesto committee, includes ‘five guarantees’ for justice, encompassing areas of partnership, agriculture, women, labor, and youth. These guarantees aim to offer 25 specific promises, with five dedicated to each sector.
The Congress’s election strategy revolves around these ‘five justices’, indicating a focused campaign to address key societal and economic issues. The party has begun the process of candidate selection for the Lok Sabha polls, with 82 candidates already announced for the election starting April 19.