<p>Elections and manifestos in Gujarat may be some months away, but that has not deterred political parties from dishing out pre-poll promises.<br /><br /></p>.<p>It is literally raining promises in Gujarat. While the Congress has already announced doing away with value added tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is not lagging behind and has decided to set up a committee to look into the formation of a new district in the politically significant Saurashtra region. He has also announced a slew of schemes for the fishing community, including a Rs 200-crore diesel subsidy on VAT for nearly 11,000 mechanised boats, to be borne entirely by the state government.<br /><br />The Congress through its promises is trying to woo the middle class which it thinks is its potential vote bank as the party is trying to point out that the ruling BJP is all for industrialists and has stopped thinking about the salaried class. So, in its boquet the Congress has also included an assurance to allot homes to the homeless. The youth are assured of a government job.<br /><br />Unlike Congress which is targeting the middle class housewives and the youth, the newly launched Gujarat Parivartan Party led by former chief minister Keshubhai Patel has begun with the farming sector. Patel has promised subsidised electricity to the farmers and even to let off farmers accused of power theft in contrast to the Modi government’s penalty on power thieves. This apart, Patel too has assured government jobs to youth within 100 days of his party being elected to power.<br /><br />The Modi government, realising its loosening grip over the lower economic group and tribals, has announced schemes for tribal welfare and education. At a gathering in Somnath on Monday, Modi announced new fishing ports on the Saurashtra coast. Congress chief Arjun Modhwadia said the party was not making mere announcements but would implement them if voted to power.<br /></p>
<p>Elections and manifestos in Gujarat may be some months away, but that has not deterred political parties from dishing out pre-poll promises.<br /><br /></p>.<p>It is literally raining promises in Gujarat. While the Congress has already announced doing away with value added tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is not lagging behind and has decided to set up a committee to look into the formation of a new district in the politically significant Saurashtra region. He has also announced a slew of schemes for the fishing community, including a Rs 200-crore diesel subsidy on VAT for nearly 11,000 mechanised boats, to be borne entirely by the state government.<br /><br />The Congress through its promises is trying to woo the middle class which it thinks is its potential vote bank as the party is trying to point out that the ruling BJP is all for industrialists and has stopped thinking about the salaried class. So, in its boquet the Congress has also included an assurance to allot homes to the homeless. The youth are assured of a government job.<br /><br />Unlike Congress which is targeting the middle class housewives and the youth, the newly launched Gujarat Parivartan Party led by former chief minister Keshubhai Patel has begun with the farming sector. Patel has promised subsidised electricity to the farmers and even to let off farmers accused of power theft in contrast to the Modi government’s penalty on power thieves. This apart, Patel too has assured government jobs to youth within 100 days of his party being elected to power.<br /><br />The Modi government, realising its loosening grip over the lower economic group and tribals, has announced schemes for tribal welfare and education. At a gathering in Somnath on Monday, Modi announced new fishing ports on the Saurashtra coast. Congress chief Arjun Modhwadia said the party was not making mere announcements but would implement them if voted to power.<br /></p>
