LS polls: SP promises caste census, guarantee for MSP in manifesto

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday unveiled the party manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections, promising a caste-based census by 2025, a legal guarantee for MSP and scrapping of the Agnipath scheme.

The manifesto – ‘Janta Ka Maang Patra – Humara Adhikar’ – was released at the SP headquarters here in the presence of senior party leaders.

The twenty-page document calls for a PDA government this time. PDA is an acronym for Pichde (backward classes), Dalit and Alpasankhyak (minorities) that was coined by Yadav.

The SP is part of the opposition bloc Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).

Addressing a press conference here, Yadav said that a caste census would be conducted after the formation of INDIA block government at the Center to fill all vacant government posts of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes by 2025.

He said the Agnipath military recruitment program would be abolished and regular recruitment would be introduced in the armed forces.

The party also pledged to restore the old pension scheme, ensure the participation of all sections of society in the private sector and completely eradicate poverty by 2029.

The manifesto includes giving a legal guarantee of minimum support price to the farmers, waiving off agricultural loans from farmers, providing free irrigation facilities and setting up a farmers’ committee. A promise has been made to provide a pension of Rs 5,000 per month to all landless small and marginal farmers.

Adopting a zero-tolerance policy towards crimes against women, along with a national helpline, ensuring 33 percent reservation for women in Parliament and Houses within two years of coming to power without waiting for delimitation, and reservation of 33 percent government jobs for women was promised in the manifesto.

The SP said flour instead of wheat would be provided to the people as part of free ration and mobile data worth Rs 500 would be given free to every family with a ration card.

The right to free education, an increase in the budget for education from three percent to six percent of GDP, a legal guarantee of the right to high-quality healthcare for all and the elimination of the digital divide would be assured, the SP said.

The other promises in the manifesto include stopping the privatization and retrenchment of central and state public sector units and setting up smart village clusters across the country, which will be managed through the Smart Village Cluster Development Authority.

The SP is contesting 62 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh as part of the alliance, while the Congress is contesting 17 seats. The Bhadohi Lok Sabha seat has been allotted to the Trinamool Congress.

First print: April 11, 2024 | 12:59 pm IST