The Congress hit out at the ruling BJP on Sunday over its Himachal Pradesh poll manifesto, terming it a “cut-copy-paste” of their five-year-old promises and in parts borrowed from the grand old party’s 2022 election document.
BJP president J P Nadda on Sunday promised Uniform Civil Code (UCC), 33 per cent reservation for women in government jobs and educational institutions, and sops for different segments as he released the party’s manifesto for the state polls.
A mix of Hindutva, development and welfare promises underpinned the ‘Sankalp Patra’, with Nadda also releasing a separate manifesto for women, a voting segment where measures like free grains, cooking gas connections and toilets have drawn favourable responses for the BJP in different polls.
The Congress’ in-charge for Himachal Pradesh Rajiv Shukla and party leader Alka Lamba termed the BJP’s manifesto a “cut-copy-paste” document.
“Jairam Thakur has used cut, copied and pasted the BJP’s 2017 manifesto and borrowed points from the Congress’ 2022 manifesto,” Lamba claimed.
At a press conference here along with Lamba, Shukla alleged, “Their manifesto of 2022 is a bundle of lies. When they did not implement the previous one, will they do it now?” Shukla also said the BJP’s manifesto has not uttered a word about the old pension scheme, restoring which has been a key demand of government employees.
“Implementation of the old pension scheme is a big demand, but they are not doing anything about it. Our governments in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh have implemented it,” he said.
They should bring out a report card of what they have done. But they have nothing to show, they haven’t fulfilled their promises, the Congress leader alleged.
Replying to a question, Shukla said a win in the state will send out a big message since it is “important to stop the autocratic regime”.
Asked from where will resources be mobilised to fulfil the Congress’ poll promises, he said, “We have given points on how we intend to generate revenue.” About BJP leaders mentioning the Ram temple in their speeches, Shukla said, “From the very beginning we took a stand that a grand Ram temple should be built if the Supreme Court orders so. After the apex court paved way for its construction, we welcomed it.” “We don’t seek votes in Lord Ram’s name. When polls are round the corner, they (BJP) bring up the Ram temple issue,” he said.
Accusing the BJP of being silent on issues like inflation, Lamba said Himachal Pradesh has an unemployment rate of 9.2 per cent and 14 lakh people unemployed.
But the BJP is talking of creating job opportunities phase-wise, she said.
With inputs from News18