Offers monthly allowance to women, jobless
Kolkata: Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday unveiled BJP's Sankalp Patra (manifesto) with 15 promises, titled Bhoy Noy Bhorosa (Support, Not Fear), to target the three term-rule Trinamul Congress for the April 23 and 29 West Bengal elections.
The list of 15 Bhorosar Shopoth (pledges of support) includes Uniform Civil Code (UCC) implementation, modernisation of fisheries to connect with Bengalis' fascination for Machh-Bhat (fish and rice), a ₹3,000 monthly allowance each for the women and unemployed which are double of what TMC has started providing, and eviction of infiltrators, a key agenda of the BJP.
Among others were White Paper on corruption and law and order breakdown under 15-year-rule TMC, end of syndicate and ‘cut-money’ culture, one crore new jobs, clearance of dearness allowance and 7th pay commission for state government employees, women safety and empowerment with 33 per cent reservation in government jobs, rejuvenation of old tea gardens and a Vande Mataram museum.
Reading out them at the launch, Shah compared the TMC-rule with kaal ratri (dark night) and duh swapna (bad dreams) and hoped for its end this time. Urging the voters to exercise their rights without fear, he also sounded confident about BJP getting an ‘absolute majority’ to form government. On the UCC plan, the Union home minister said, “It will be implemented within six months after BJP comes to power here so that all citizens will come under the same law.”
Asked to explain, he said, “Our Constitution respects each and every religion. But tell me which one is appeasement — if a man marries four times or a man marries once? UCC ends appeasement. It is the recommendation of the Constitution, not ours. Irrespective of what Mamataji does, UCC will be implemented wherever BJP is in power in the country.”
Shah also vowed to turn Bengal into Ram Rajya after BJP formed government, saying, “This concept of good governance was proposed by Mahatma Gandhi himself during the freedom struggle. If Mamata didi can not even implement it, she should not worry because she does not have time left in her hand. From May 5, we will ensure Ram Rajya is established here.”
He assured that the state would have a robust son of the soil as the Chief Minister from his party but did not disclose the name. Taking a potshot at the speculation about the succession plan in the TMC, the Union home minister observed, “We aren't a dynastic party where Bhatija (nephew) will become CM after Didi. Any Bengali, who is from here and is eligible, efficient, leader and an able-administrator, can be the CM of Bengal from BJP.”
Replying to questions about various categories of sops in the BJP manifesto in comparison with that of the TMC, Shah refused to call them “freebies”, pointing out that these “booster doses” were required from a government to take out the certain sections of people who “fell into ditches made under a misrule.” The BJP stalwart later highlighted the salient features of his party's manifesto at a rally in Debra of West Midnapore and led a roadshow at Kharagpur of the district in the evening.
