CAA, a heavy dose of welfare projects and cash benefits in BJP manifesto for Bengal

Matching Trinamool Congress manifesto populism for populism, Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday released its manifesto for the Bengal assembly elections, the highlights of which was CAA and a job for every family.

CAA will be implemented in the first cabinet meeting, said the manifesto titled ‘Sonar Bangla Sankalp Patra 2021’ that was released by Union home minister Amit Shah.

The TMC manifesto released by Mamata on March 18 made a number of promises from a universal basic income to a million MSME units every year for the next five years.

BJP’s manifesto, too, listed virtually every sector of public life and set out benchmarks for performance.

Countering Mamata Banerjee’s emphasis on women, the saffron party promised 33% reservation for women in government jobs if voted to power.

Also on the list of promises was free rides for women in public transport. The pension for widows would be raised to Rs 3,000. Moreover, from “KG to PG” girl students won’t have to pay any fees.

Countering Mamata Banerjee’s emphasis on generation of MSME units, BJP promised BPOs named after Subhas Chandra Bose in all the 341 blocks of the state. As many as 10,000 start-ups with Rs 25 lakh investment will be set up.

The document also promised a bonanza for the government employees and said that of voted to power, 7th Pay Commission would be implemented in the state. The 6th Pay Commission is right now under implementation in Bengal.

To protect the farmers, an intervention fund of Rs 5,000 crore will be set up so that they are not affected by price fluctuation of commodities.

Among the other promises to the agriculture sector was Rs 18,000 for farmers without any “cut money” and a sum of Rs 6,000 for fishermen every year. Fishermen would also get an insurance upto Rs 3 lakh. Moreover, Kisan credit cards would also be upgraded to Rupay card.

To woo the votes of the backward castes, the party said that Mahishya, Tili and other Hindu OBCs would be included under the reserved status and that Matuas, Dalpatis would get a monthly pension of Rs 3000.

The Matuas, a sect who have mainly migrated from Bangladesh, is a target for both BJP and Trinamool since they are thought to have influence to decide the outcome in more than 70 seats out of the 294 seats in the state assembly.

The manifesto also said that refugees would get Rs 10,000 assistance for the next five years.

To counter the allegation that BJP is party that is alien to the culture and ethos of Bengal, the manifesto promised awards in the names of Tagore and Ray. While an award in literature similar to the Nobel prize will be named after Tagore, another in films like the Oscars will be named after Ray, the manifesto said.

The manifesto also promised big on healthcare with doubling of seats in medical and nursing colleges. A Rs 10,000-crore health infrastructure project was also promised.

The benefits of Ayushmaan Bharat would be ensured for all in the first cabinet meeting, said the manifesto.

There will be three hospitals in the relatively underdeveloped areas of north Bengal, the Sundarbans and the Jangalmahal (the forested region in the western part of the state) fashioned after the AIIMS.

The wages of tea workers would also be raised to Rs 350 a day from the current level of Rs 202 a day.

The airport in Bagdogra in Siliguri would also be upgraded to international standards. A new expressway between Kolkata and Siliguri named after Subhas Chandra Bose was also promised.

North Bengal voted for BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections when the party won seven of the eight seats in this region.

The Union home minister also remarked that he was not giving assurances without doing the arithmetic. “I am a baniya, trust me,” he remarked.

To end infiltration BJP would quickly erect fencing along the Indo-Bangladesh border and install CCTV surveillance.

Since the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, BJP leaders have alleged widespread corruption in the state has been encouraged and promoted by leaders of the ruling party.

The manifesto said that if voted to power, BJP would initiate probe into corruption in Amphan cyclone relief distribution and other calamities. The chief minister’s office would have an anti-corruption helpline to encourage whistle blowers.

Special investigation teams would be set up to investigate corruption, communal/political violence. The document also said an amount of Rs 25 lakh for would be paid to each family that lost a member to political violence.

Task Forces would be set up to counter gun running, narcotics networks, land grabbing, fake currency circulation and cattle smuggling to Bangladesh.