Political parties distributing dreams to voters

The major political parties except for the two Terai-based parties have unveiled their election manifestos.

However, the manifestos look ambitious as the parties have included impossible plans and programmes only to lure the voters.

The UML in its manifesto has argued to increase the budget to Rs. 10 trillion in the next five years, which is next to impossible thing. The party has targeted growth of 7 per cent while declaring to increase the annual budget to 10 trillion, which could be possible only when the growth will be of more than 15 per cent.

The party has also expressed an ambitious commitment to double the per capita income to USD 2,400. It has announced to operate Nepal’s ship in the sea, which it had also included in its manifesto in 2017.

Likewise, Nepali Congress has announced to arrangement free of cost treatment for citizens aged below three years and above 73 years. In addition, the party aims to take the average life expectancy of Nepali people to 73 years within the next five years.

The NC has announced it to produce 10,000MW of power in the next five years, create 12,50,000 new jobs and bring in 20 million tourists, increase life expectancy to 73 years. Likewise, the Maoist Centre has announced to reduce poverty by 50 per cent, going for a directly elected executive president and adopting the fully proportional representative electoral system, investigating the property of those who reached power after 1990 and providing new 1 million jobs.

Likewise, the CPN (Unified Socialist) in its manifesto announced to provide Rs. 1 million to the returned migrant workers, build the eastwest mega canal and improve the electoral system.

Similarly, the RPP has said to restore the monarchy, investigate the assets of those who enjoyed power after 1990, and increase the allowance of new mothers to Rs. 3,000.

Of course, the parties have focused more on distributing allowance including to those women who have a period, without including concrete and practical plans to free the country from various problems like poverty, and corruption.

Again, the manifestos do not look new, because the parties have been making similar claims in their manifestos in all elections held in the past.