Cong vows 1 mn jobs, old pension scheme

AHMEDABAD: The Congress on Saturday released its manifesto for the Gujarat assembly elections, making 11 key promises, including one million jobs in government and semi-government departments, implementation of the old pension scheme, free health cover of up to ₹10 lakh, LPG cylinder at ₹500 and farm loan waivers of up to ₹3 lakh.

Polling for the 182-member Gujarat assembly will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5, while the counting of votes will be held on December 8.

In its manifesto, the Congress also promised 300 units of free electricity every month, unemployment allowance of ₹3,000 per month, ₹2,000 pension to divyangs (differently abled), widows, senior citizens and single women.

The manifesto was released by Rajasthan chief minister and Congress’s in-charge for Gujarat elections Ashok Gehlot at the state party headquarters.

“As suggested by party leader Rahul Gandhi, we will form a commission for the implementation of our manifesto and turn it into a government document after the Congress forms a government in the state,” Gehlot told reporters.

He said the manifesto will help the Congress “accomplish its goal of winning 125 seats” (out of 182) in the Gujarat assembly elections.

On the occasion, Congress’s manifesto committee chairman Dipak Babaria told reporters that if voted to power, the Congress will change the name of the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium at Motera to Sardar Patel Cricket Stadium. The stadium is run by the Gujarat Cricket Association.

Hitting out at the Congress, which has been out of power in the western state for over two decades, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said the party has once again ignored India’s first home minister Sardar Vallabhai Patel.

“The entire complex is called Sardar Patel Sports Enclave. It houses 22 different complexes and one of them is the cricket stadium called Narendra Modi stadium,” said state BJP media co-incharge Zubin Ashara.

BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said: “Congress announced a farm loan waiver in MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh but it is not implemented. They promised to give monthly stipend of ₹5,000 to every unemployed youth in Rajasthan... They talk about gas cylinders at ₹500, but has the Congress government in other states, including Rajasthan, delivered a cylinder at ₹500?”