Will amend law to raise 50% quota cap, extend 10% EWS quota to all castes: Congress

NEW DELHI: Formally framing its Lok Sabha pitch as ‘welfarism vs polarisation’, Congress Friday released its 2024 manifesto focused on ’25 guarantees’ to demographics like women, youth, workers and backward classes, while announcing that in office, it will adopt a ‘Nav Sankalp Economic Policy’ with a vision of ‘work, wealth, welfare’.
Called the ‘nyay patra’, Congress has promised to remove 50% cap on reservations, caste census, extension of 10% EWS quota to all castes as against the present scheme of limiting it to non-SC/ST/OBC, law to extend caste quotas to private educational institutions, a ‘diversity commission’ to “measure, monitor and promote diversity in public and private employment and education” and changes in the law to ensure automatic disqualification of defectors.It has vowed Rs 1 lakh/year to poor households, a law on MSP and the abolition of Agnipath defence recruitment scheme.

Releasing the manifesto with party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi warned that the Constitution is on the ballot, while claiming that the LS contest is much closer than is being projected and promising an upset like the one in 2004 when BJP, the favourite, had lost. He said BJP would be ousted. Eyes firmly on the young, Congress has pledged to waive all student loans up to March 15, 2024, abolish contractual appointments and regularise those jobs.
No Congress promise to revive OPS or curb PMLA, UAPA ‘misuse’
Releasing the manifesto, Rahul Gandhi claimed that the LS contest is much closer than is being projected and promised an upset like the one in 2004 when BJP, the favourite, had lost. He said BJP would be ousted.
Eyes firmly on the young, Congress has pledged to waive all student loans up to March 15, 2024, abolish contractual appointments and regularise those jobs.
Congress has also promised to introduce women’s reservation in assemblies from 2025, and in Parliament in 2029, reserve 50% jobs in central govt for women from 2025, end of contractual appointments and regularisation of all those on contract and recruitment for 30 lakh vacancies in central govt and raising the minimum daily wage to Rs 400. The party said in office, it will follow the philosophy of “jobs, jobs, jobs” to revive employment, which has touched rock bottom under BJP govt.
Contrary to the expectations it had aroused, the manifesto did not promise the return of the old pension scheme saying that it had had held its hand because the matter is under review. It also refrained from listing measures to curb the “misuse” of laws like Prevention of Money Laundering Act and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act which, it maintains, have been misused against political opponents, dissidents and activists.
Congress painted a grim picture of the country after a decade of BJP govt under Narendra Modi, with job-loss growth and inflation coupled with “climate of fear, intimidation, hatred” and “capture of institutions” putting the very existence of democracy under threat.
Gandhi said the 2024 polls are “fundamentally different” from the past and never before has “democracy and the Constitution been as much at risk as today”.
“This election is about those who are trying to destroy the Constitution and democracy, and those who are trying to protect (them)…” Rahul said at the manifesto release function held at AICC headquarters.
Gandhi struck a combative note by warning BJP that electoral bonds have exposed Modi’s bid to create a “financial monopoly”, and its transaction record is a “readymade chargesheet” gifted to the opposition. “That has created a bit of terror in his mind. He fears if the tally is not ‘400 paar’ and gets stuck at 160, then he is done. That’s why he is stealing our leaders in Maharashtra, Haryana etc,” Rahul said at a brief press interaction at the function where apart from Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, manifesto panel chairman P Chidambaram and general secretary K C Venugopal were on the dais, and the audience included Meira Kumar, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Sachin Pilot, Jairam Ramesh, Deepender Hooda, Anand Sharma, P L Punia, among others. Rahul reiterated that the opposition would decide its PM candidate after the polls.

Driving home that Congress has implemented its ‘guarantees’ in Himachal, Karnataka, Telangana, Rajasthan, Kharge argued that Congress’s post-Independence credibility on making realistic promises is different from what Modi has been claiming since 2014. Taking a jibe at his commitment, Kharge rhetorically asked why, despite his bombastic claims, the PM has not visited ethnic strife-hit Manipur in the last one year. “It is because Modi is scared. And a person who is afraid cannot do good for the country,” he said.
Chidambaram lamented that Congress’s 2019 prophecy that a BJP govt will create fear and hatred, jobless youth, stagnant wages, trade and industrial degradation, and oppression of weaker sections and SC/ST/OBC has come true, but added the Congress vision promises a fresh start.
He dismissed “Modi’s guarantees” as “empty promises”, asking what happened to PM’s earlier promises of two crore jobs/year, Rs 15 lakh in every bank account, doubling of farmers’ income etc. Sounding an alarm, Chidambaram said 30% of elite IIT passouts are without jobs.
Kharge mocked that Modi is scaring Congress and opposition leaders into joining BJP. “Those who have done something wrong get scared. Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi don’t know any fear. We stand firm on our principles,” he remarked.
As he dubbed Congress’s manifesto as the “new picture of future India”, Kharge said Modi’s doors are shut for the poor, women and youth, but a Congress govt will open these gates to the deprived and help them progress.