Both BJP and Congress to issue manifesto for Gujarat polls next week

Ahmedabad:

Both ruling BJP and main opposition Congress will issue their manifesto for Gujarat election next week just a couple of days before the first phase of polling.

Congress today said that it would issue its manifesto for Gujarat assembly polls on December 5 or 7 while BJP without committing any date only said that it would also issue the same next week.

The exercise for preparing Congress manifesto has been repeated on the instructions of party vice president Rahul Gandhi to ensure the inclusion of only such promises which could be fulfilled on formation of government. Promise of loan waiver of the farmers of the state, affordable housing for all and check on the said commercialization of education and health services would be the prominent features in it.

AICC general secretary and convener of manifesto committee Dipak Babaria today admitted that the announcement of manifesto has been delayed by a week. ‘In fact the whole exercise has been done twice. Initially we basically centered it on grass root party workers and NGOs but Rahul ji later instructed us to do it on the lines of a public hearing in which anybody could walk in and give one’s suggestions for inclusion in it. It has been done under the guidance of Sam Pitroda. We have ensured that it truly reflects the road-map of the next Congress government in the state. Apart form farmer’s loan waiver and affordable housing, issues like skill development and ease of doing business for the industries in the state will also be included in it,’ he said.

GPCC spokesperson Manish Doshi said that it would be issued on December 5 or 7.

‘In fact we have ousted some of the issues from the draft after the instructions of Rahul Ji. He has strictly instructed to not to include any Jumla (empty promise) in it. There were two to three main reasons for the delay including the re-doing of the whole exercise after the instructions of Rahul ji. The death of the son of the head of manifesto committee and Rajyasabha MP Madusudan Mistry is also a tragic reason,’ Mr Doshi said.

Election in Gujarat will be held in two phases on December 9 and 14.

Ruling BJP has also not issued its manifesto so far. Gujarat BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya said that it was almost ready and will be released next week.

Mr Pandya said that being a party in power, the BJP was quite sensitive about what to include in the manifesto. ‘We don’t have the liberty of Congress to make any and every promise,’ he said.

DeshGujarat