BJP MANIFESTO...

tional capacity-building for newage industries. We will attract ₹5 lakh crore foreign investment and make Gujarat the Defence and Aviation Manufacturing Hub of India,” he said.

Nadda released the manifesto in the presence of Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel and BJP’S Gujarat incharge CR Patil.

“We always do what we say and it is our specialty that we also do what we have not said (in the manifesto). For instance, when did we say that we will build a greenfield airport at Rajkot but we have started work on it. When did we say that the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) will come up in Jamnagar? But we have done it,” said Nadda at the event.

The BJP promised free-of-cost and quality education to all girls from kindergarten to postgraduation and added that it will provide free two-wheelers to the meritorious college-going girls. It has also promised free bus travel to women senior citizens and 100,000 government jobs to women over the next five years.

For the tribals in the state, the BJP has promised to enable mobile delivery of ration across all the 56 Tribal Sub Plan Talukas in the state and to ensure Rs 1 lakh crore under the Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana 2.0 for the all-round socio-economic development of tribals.

The BJP has promised to convert 20,000 government schools into Schools of Excellence in the next five years with a budget of ₹10,000 crore. The party will also launch a Gujarat Olympics Mission and create world-class sports infrastructure with an aim to host the Olympic Games in 2036, the manifesto said.

Reacting to the release of the manifesto, the Congress said it was a “Dhokha (deceit) Patra”.

“The manifesto looks more like a state budget where thousands of crores are allocated for various schemes. After 27 years of rule, the BJP has to offer freebies like free bicycle to lure voters. This is not a ‘Sankalp Patra’ but a ‘Dhokha (deceit) Patra’ where the government hasn’t said anything about inflation or other burning issues like giving justice to the Morbi bridge tragedy victims,” said Congress spokesperson Alok Sharma.

The Gujarat elections are expected to be a three-cornered contest, with the BJP launching a campaign blitzkrieg to retain power, the Congress seeking to gain lost ground and the Aam Aadmi Party looking to make inroads in the state.

In the 2017 elections, the BJP won 99 seats and the Congress came close with 77 seats.

The elections for the 182member assembly will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5. The votes will be counted on December 8.