JOIN US In a bid to outshine the political rivals in offering sops to the Dalits and the Muslims, the Congress on Tuesday promised sub-quota for the most backwards Dalits, backward Muslims.
In its election manifesto for Uttar Pradesh, which was released at nine places in the state, the party also promised free power connections to the weaker sections and expressed its commitment to make the state corruption free and bring the office of the chief minister under the ambit of the Look-out.
In Lucknow, the manifesto was released by Sam Pitroda, the new OBC face of the Congress, in presence of Union ministers—Kapil Sibal and Salman Khursheed. Senior leaders of the party released the manifesto in other places also simultaneously.
The manifesto promises 4.5 per cent reservation for the backward minorities, `mahila thana' (women police stations) in every district, 50 per cent reservation for women at panchayat polls, marriage grant of Rs 10,000 to the SC/ST girls and power to every house by the year 2020.
It also said that the party, if voted to power, would bring in Metro rail in the major cities in the state and build infrastructure for industrial development of the state besides promising a sub-quota for the most backwards among the Dalits. The party would open 500 model schools across the state, the manifesto said. Free power connections have also been promised to the BPL SC and ST families.
It also promises to generate 20 lakh jobs in the nest five years, health insurance cards for the BPL families and provide legal aid to the needy and weaker section of the society.
The party would ask the Centre to set-up a Second Reorganisation Commission to look into the issue of division of the state, the manifesto said. It also promised to take up cleaning of the Ganges and other rivers in the state.
And, in order to woo the Muslim community, the manifesto said that it would undertake a `madarsa modernisation programme', and make Urdu the second language in the state.