New Delhi/Jaipur: Looking to prove opinion polls wrong on anti-incumbency and retain power, the BJP on Tuesday released its ambitious manifesto, which is high on Hindutva and job creation, for the December 7 Rajasthan elections. The ruling party’s key promises include creation of 50 lakh jobs in the private sector over five years, 30,000 jobs every year in the government sector, doubling of farm income and a monthly dole of Rs 5,000 to jobless youths above 21 years. A 2016 Census Report on Non Workers had said that 31 per cent of Rajasthan’s youths in the 20-29 years age group were unemployed.
Reflecting the manifesto’s Hindutva focus, the BJP said illegal migrants from Bangladesh and Rohingya Muslims would be identified and expelled, and Hindus who had to leave Pakistan would be offered citizenship.
The party also promised that the word “Gorakh dhanda” will be made a punishable offence if the party is voted to power again in Rajasthan as the word hurts the sentiments of the followers of saint Gorakhnath.
In its poll document “Rajasthan Gaurav Sankalp, 2018”, unveiled by Union ministers Arun Jaitley and Prakash Javadekar and Rajathan chief minister Vasundhara Raje, the BJP promised farmers of doubling their income, by a new Rs 250-crore fund to encourage rural start-ups. It also promised expansion of cooperative loans for the agriculture sector, saying loans worth Rs 1 lakh crore will be disbursed in the next five years.
Elections for the 200-member Assembly will be held on December 7 and the results will be announced on December 11. Voters in Rajasthan have never re-elected a government. In its manifesto, the ruling party promised to give laptops or smartphones to meritorious students taking admission to government schools. The BJP said that on coming to power again it will recommend to the Centre to include “Meena”, along with “Mina”, in the list of Scheduled Tribes (ST) and will construct memorials to tribal leaders in Dungarpur, Kota, Bundi, Banswara and Jaipur. As per the manifesto, a national memorial of Guru Gorakhnath will be made and Mutt/Aasan of the Nath community will be renovated. A library of Gorakhnath’s literature related with Yoga and Tantra will also be set up near Jodhpur. The party also promised to include the details of Gorakshnath or Goraknath in the textbooks of the Rajasthan state textbook board. In the education sector, a private school board or an empowered committee will help the government decide policies and a Vedic studies board will be set up.
