Elections 2014: Is BJP a one-man show without manifesto?

BJP doesn’t want a shoddy manifesto

Shaina NC- Spokesperson, BJP, Maharashtra

We have done an exhaustive amount of work in including all the small aspects encompassing every segment of the society and believe that being a bit late is better than releasing a shoddy manifesto like the Congress has done.

The Congress in its manifesto has said that a trillion will be invested in infrastructure projects, but has not specified where the projects will come up.
If we had to do a shoddy job, then our manifesto would have been released by now, but we have worked really very hard and have incorporated plans to take our successful projects like Beti Bachao Yojana to a national level.It is an extensive manifesto, not limited to few points.

Also, as our national leaders are very busy at the moment. We have to wait for a later date when Narendra Modiji can be present to release the manifesto.
The highlights of the manifesto would be education and job opportunities for the youth. During the six years of NDA, 6.5 crore job opportunities were created while during the UPA’s tenure not even 1.5 crore jobs could be created.

Issues we will definitely address are unemployment, propriety and price rise. Amenities for the physically challenged are high on our agenda as well as their issues. Simple things like ramps for disabled persons using wheelchairs and ground floors at educational institutes would be given priority.

Empowerment of children and women through our Beti Bachao Programme in Madhya Pradesh will be taken to other states. We are keen to take forward the huge outlay of national highways that were completed during the NDA government.

Development of satellite cities, interlinking of rivers, creating a golden quadrilateral of bullet trains and price control is high on our agenda. We are working on bringing back the black money stashed away elsewhere and forming special courts for handling black marketers.The point is that we have done an exhaustive work on our manifesto.

It will not be like agriculture minister Sharad Pawar’s constant talk about farmers’ welfare that never materialises or the Congress manifesto giving a fancy job number or infrastructure projects to be created without actually taking it any further.

The point is that if we were just going to make false claims and promises, it would be no different but with the amount of details on each aspect of development that we have put forth, we are entitled to take a bit of extra time.

BJP is 1-man show without manifesto

Abid Rasool Khan-  Spokesperson, AICC, Chairman AP Minorities Commission

BJP is no longer a political party, so it does not require a party manifesto any more. It has become a one-man institution. The party’s contention is that whatever this one man says, will become the manifesto.

It is for the first time in the history of India that a political party has not come up with a manifesto and is asking voters to vote on the basis of whatever Narendra Modi says. The manifesto committee under Murali Manohar Joshi was forced to stop its work due to the whims and fancies of Modi.

The shabby manner in which BJP treated the chairman of its Manifesto Drafting committee, Dr Murali Manohar Joshi, clearly shows that every institution and individual, no matter how important, is subservient to Modi’s whims. His opinion on every matter appears to over-ride the concerns of his other colleagues, which is hardly becoming of a democratic party. Because of this attitude of the PM candidate, BJP’s manifesto committee did not feel the need to do the job properly.

The party is seeing a sharp divide due to this. While the higher castes are feeling sidetracked, the SC/STs are nowhere in the picture. BJP has now become only an OBC party.

All these factors put together has resulted in the failure of the party in coming up with any policy. BJP’s failure to bring out a manifesto before the first phase of polls clearly show that the party has no policy or programme to put before the people.

The BJP admits that it would not be able to release its manifesto before the first phase of polling, which means that all the people who go to vote on April 7 will have to exercise their franchise without even knowing what the BJP’s plans for India are.The fact that seats in North East are going to vote on that day, also shows that the region doesn’t feature in the BJP’s list of priorities

In complete contrast to the BJP, the Congress manifesto is a product of five months of public consultation, in which the party received over 1.3 lakh suggestions. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi himself held over 30 consultations with various sections of society.

Other political parties like the Left, Samajwadi Party and the AAP have also released their respective manifestoes.Although the BJP was first in announcing the Prime Ministerial candidate as well as its manifesto committee, it has failed to come up with a manifesto. Can we even trust a party ruled by a single man? Are we going towards dictatorship?