The BJP on Tuesday released its election manifesto for the Maharashtra Assembly polls with a promise of a Bharat Ratna for Hind Mahasabha leader Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.
The State unit of the party said it would ask the NDA government at the Centre to confer India’s highest civilian award on Savarkar.
Releasing the manifesto, BJP working president J.P. Nadda and State president Chandrakant Patil said party had fulfilled the promises made in the previous manifesto, and the next manifesto will have at its core the dream of a drought-free State.
Water grid
Calling it a 16-point ‘Sankalp Patra (commitment paper)’, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the government was committed to building a comprehensive water grid across the State’s parched areas to ensure that flowing rain water — neither the State’s nor Karnataka’s share — is collected and diverted to drought-affected areas of Vidarbha and Marathwada.
Mr. Fadnavis explained that this would include diversion of over 167 tmc (thousand million cubic feet) of water from the Konkan region which otherwise flows into the sea.
The 40 page-manifesto titled Sampan, Samruddha and Samarth , is focused on three main issues — drought, water and employment.
Mr. Nadda said five years back, Maharashtra was a corrupt and tainted State but under the leadership of Mr. Fadnavis, it had improved its image and political standing in the country.
“After a long time Maharashtra got a full term Chief Minister and the State is now corruption free. Under his (Mr. Fadnavis) leadership, we are releasing a ‘well studied’ document as a roadmap for the future,” the Minister said.
16-point programme
Mr Nadda said the manifesto is committed to the party’s motto of ‘ sabka sath, sabka vikas’ and includes 16 major points for the development of the State.
The major points include diversion of 167 tmc of water from the Konkan region to Marathwada and Vidarbha, connecting 11 dams through a Marathwada Water Grid, making agricultural power solar-based for farmers, jobs for one crore youth, social security for labourers, investment of ₹5,00,000 crore, construction of 30,000 kilometres of rural roads, and rehabilitation for the family of martyred soldiers.
“I am confident after this manifesto is fully implemented, State will become number one,” said Mr. Nadda.
The manifesto also promised a separate body to look after maintenance of roads while the Public Works Department will continue to construct them, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said.
