NewDelhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to release its election manifesto “Shapath Patra” on Monday, April 8, just three days before the first phase of the Lok Sabha poll on April 11. “Development, nationalism and Hindutva” are likely to be the top points in the poll promise document.
“The manifesto which has been named as `Shapath Patra` will not just include the promises but also the works done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government. The logic behind it is that the government has done a lot of work like Mudra, Ujjawala which was not even promised in 2014,” a source told news agency.
This year, the party’s poll slogan will be “Strong India, Capable India”.
Amid pressure from the Opposition, the manifesto is also likely to detail on job creation and steps taken towards employment generation in the last five years.
Keeping in view its the core voter base, the party will continue its poll promises on Ram Temple, the source added. Special corridors for Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura and cleaning of several rivers apart from Ganga will also be discussed.
Doubling farmer`s income by 2022 and continuing “tough stance” on terrorism will be other points in the manifesto, something the party has already been talking about.
Earlier reports suggested that the BJP will release the manifesto on Sunday, April 7. However, the source said that the party considers April 8 auspicious, and hence likely to release it on Monday.
Top party leaders, including PM Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, Union Ministers Rajnath Singh and others are expected to be present at the release event.
BJP’s 20-member manifesto committee is headed by Singh and includes Union Ministers Arun Jaitley, Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan as members. The panel has 15 sub-committees, which has already submitted their inputs.
The party has also gathered suggestions from citizens through boxes on the 300-plus video raths that crisscrossed through the country and feedback received through other means such as emails and public meeting-level consultations in all states, reported news agency.
In 2014, BJP had released its manifesto ‘Sankalp Patra’ on the first day of the nine-phased Lok Sabha poll, April 7. However, this time the Election Commission directed that no party can release its manifesto within 48 hours of polling.
The party had also gathered suggestions from citizens through boxes on the 300-plus video raths that crisscrossed through the country and feedback received through other means such as emails and public meeting-level consultations in all states.
Meanwhile, BJP’s women’s wing demanded 15 per cent reservation for women in the council of ministers and 33 per cent reservation in commissions working for the protection of constitutional rights, besides tax rebates to boost employment of women.
The wing, in its suggestion for the manifesto, asked for increase exemption limit from payment of GST to Rs 50 lakh for women-led businesses and tax incentives to industries where women comprise 50 per cent of the total workforce.
The Congress has already released its manifesto on April 2.
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