Free housing, education in Cong’s UP poll pitch to Dalits

LUCKNOW: The Congress promised on Sunday free education and housing to Dalit families as part of its plan to woo the marginalised castes who might play a decisive role in next year’s assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh.

The party released an eightpoint list as part of its ‘Dalit manifesto’ that promises free education “from KG to PG” and free housing equipped with toilets, safe drinking water and electricity.

“If the Congress comes to power, the government will make direct payments of all education expenses for a Dalit student. The government will also pay additional `1,000 aid to students going to other cities for higher education, including courses such as BA, MA, BTech, LLB and MBBS,” party Rajya Sabha member PL Punia said in Lucknow.

Uttar Pradesh state chief Raj Babbar and Congress’ SC/ST department chairman K Raju were also present.

The party also flagged off a number of Dalit roadshows – or yatras – that will crisscross the state to campaign in far-flung villages about the Congress’ past contributions to the Dalit community. This is part of the Congress’ 50-day ‘Shiksha, Suraksha, Swabhiman’ campaign targeting to reach out to Dalits in about 5,000 villages across 85 reserved constituencies.

Strategist Prashant Kishor who was hired by the Congress for the assembly polls is reportedly not part of this campaign. He had earlier planned the ‘27 Saal UP Behal’ and ‘Kisan Yatra’ for the party.