The Congress manifesto, finalised after the Congress Working Committee meeting today, is likely to include statehood for Kashmir and law against misuse of agencies among other things, highly placed sources have said.
“The manifesto includes 25 guarantees under 5 Nyay ‘pillars’ of Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Old Pension Scheme, law against misuse of agencies by Central and State governments, restoration of statehood for Jammu & Kashmir, and special status for Ladakh,” the source said.
Shortly after the CWC meeting, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge posted on X: “…we had an indepth discussion on the Congress manifesto. The 5 pillars of Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra — Farmer Justice, Youth Justice, Women Justice, Labor Justice and Share Justice each have 5 guarantees. According to 5 guarantees under each pillar of justice, the Congress Party has given a total of 25 guarantees.”
These guarantees have already been announced by Kharge and former Congress president Rahul Gandhi.
The CWC meeting comes after the completion of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra that culminated in Mumbai on Saturday, the day the Election Commission announced the schedule for the Lok Sabha polls.
The Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party’s top decision-making body, discussed the party’s manifesto for Lok Sabha polls for over three hours and decided to reach out to every household with its five “Nyay” guarantees for the youth, women, workers, farmers and the marginalised sections.
Sources said the manifesto also includes the promise of implementing the old pension scheme (OPS) across the country and a law to ensure the independence of constitutional institutions and stop “misuse” of agencies.
“These five guarantees are going to be a game-changer in this election,” party leader K C Venugopal said.
“The CWC has prepared a roadmap for taking the party’s guarantees to the grassroots, highlighting the issues concerning the youth, poor, women, workers and farmers,” he said and derided BJP’s “guarantees” as “jumlas” (rhetoric) and a “bunch of lies”.
In his address at the meeting, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge asserted whatever has been promised in the manifesto, will be strictly implemented.
Before making promises in the manifesto, an in-depth deliberation has been made to ensure that these promises are implementable, he said.
Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh said the CWC has authorised Kharge to give final approval to the party’s manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls and decide a date for its release.
Venugopal said the Congress party is fully prepared for Lok Sabha polls and will launch a massive campaign “to take its guarantees to every household across the country in the next few days”.
He said the CWC also unanimously appreciated Rahul Gandhi for undertaking the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra during which he raised key issues concerning the people.
Ramesh said the Congress will release not just a ‘ghoshna patra’ (manifesto) but a ‘nyay patra’ ensuring justice for all sections so that people see a bright future in the country.
Earlier addressing the CWC meeting, Kharge urged all party leaders and workers to take every issue raised in the party manifesto to every village and town and every household across the country.
(With inputs from agencies)
