Delhi BJP manifesto attempts to outshine rivals' promises

The BJP manifesto for the December 4 Assembly elections was released on Tuesday with an attempt to differentiate the party from the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party.

The focus is on transparent governance, employment generation, lower power tariffs, women safety, demand for full statehood for the city, affordable vegetables and clean Yamuna.

Party’s chief ministerial candidate Harsh Vardhan, flanked by party colleagues, unveiled the set of poll promises with the hope that these will help the BJP end the Congress’ 15-year reign in the capital.

Apart from the issues that have been spoken about by rivals, the BJP manifesto showed glimpses of out-of-the-box thinking by promising promotion of cycle culture in the city, distribution of free cycles to hawkers, encouraging battery tricycles, organising domestic helps and drivers and their skill development.

The manifesto also talked about promoting women entrepreneurs and giving better social security and higher pension to senior citizens.

On the dirty Yamuna, Harsh Vardhan said, “If Thames river in London and the Sabarmati river in Gujarat can be clean, why can’t Yamuna be pollution-free.
“For Delhiites who have lived in the city for decades, the current state of the Yamuna is painful,” said the practising doctor who lives in the eastern part of city that is separated from the central hub by the river.

The BJP manifesto was released eight days before the Assembly elections and five days after the Congress and the AAP released their poll promises to woo the voters.
Addressing the reporters in Hindi, Harsh Vardhan said on coming to power his party’s government would seek from the Central government full statehood for Delhi. “At present, the state government has no control over land use. This delays development projects.”

Expansion of the Metro network, introduction of monorail, reduction of power tariffs by 30 per cent, promoting solar power generation in homes, introduction of a universal health insurance, job creation for youths and creation of an East Delhi Campus of Delhi University also figured high on the agenda of the party.

“We will bring the accounts of the private power distribution companies under the ambit of the Right to Information Act and promote greater competition in the sector,” he said.

He also promised to provide safe drinking water to all residents and promote recycling of water.

Price control in a month

In a bid to strike a chord with the inflation-hit middle class, the manifesto said: “Prices of onions, tomatoes and other vegetables shall be brought under control within 30 days of the formation of the BJP government.

“For lasting solutions, pre-cooling plants, cold storages and other facilities shall be created for timely availability of fruits and vegetables,” it said.

For the women voters, Harsh Vardhan said the party will increase the number of subsidised cooking gas cylinders that will be made available to a family in a year. He said for every cooking gas connection 12 subsidised cylinders will be provided as against the nine promised in one year.

Mindful of the recent public outrage over the crime against women, especially the brutalisation of a physiotherapy intern in a moving bus in December 2012, the BJP proposed introduction of self-defence programmes in schools and ensure proper lighting in all public transport buses.

The party also promised to open more hostels for working women. Harsh Vardhan also thanked people for sending their suggestions to the party to help it prepare the manifesto. “We have tried to incorporate most of the suggestions,” said the convener of the BJP’s manifesto committee.

Other BJP leaders present on the occasion were leaders of the opposition in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj and former BJP chief and Delhi election incharge Nitin Gadkari.