Congress Punjab manifesto to be out today, focus on dalits

New Delhi: The Congress will release its manifesto for Punjab Assembly elections on Monday.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will release the manifesto in New Delhi, along with Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh. The manifesto will also be simultaneously released in Punjab by senior leaders of the state.

The manifesto will highlight measures to counter the problem of drug abuse, which has roiled the state.  The party will give special emphasis on dalits in the manifesto, as they constitute almost 31 per cent of the population. The Congress already announced that all facilities will be extended to all dalits.

The party also launched 13 yatras in the state to reach out to people of each constituency.

In the run-up to elections, the party ran a high-octane campaign in the state, with Capt. Amarinder Singh promising more jobs for youths. It also announced a farm loan waiver. During an interaction, the party distributed Kisan Maang patras to farmers asking them the amount of the loan they had taken. The party also promised minimum support price to farmers.

Capt. Amarinder Singh had launched two special programmes — “The Coffee with Captain” and “Halke Vich Captain”. The programme were designed for different audiences in the state.

About 40 seats are still left undecided by the party, for which candidates will be announced soon.

Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu is expected to contest the elections from his wife’s seat Amritsar east.