Releasing the party’s manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on April 5, Congress party leader P. Chidambaram who headed the Manifesto Committee, said the document focuses on the theme of justice. The manifesto is being called ‘Nyay Patra’.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and senior leader Rahul Gandhi released the party’s Lok Sabha manifesto in New Delhi.
Following up on the theme of justice, the manifesto’s second broad theme is to create wealth through investments. “The third section is focused on welfare. But for welfare for whom?” Chidambaram said.
Accusing the government of being a government “of the rich, by the rich and for the rich,” Chidambaram added, “We have to focus on the bottom 50% of the population. If Congress comes to power, we will lift 23 crore people out of poverty .We have done it before and we can do it again.”
Speaking on the occasion, Kharge remarked that the Congress is releasing the manifesto on Babu Jagjeevan Ram’s birth anniversary. “We are dedicating our manifesto to the poor people of the country,” he said.
“The manifesto is a result of extensive consultation and participation by the people. The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership, focused on five pillars of justice. We have included every one of them and 25 guarantees come out of the five pillars or paanch nyay,” Kharge said.
The party’s election manifesto focuses on ‘Paanch Nyay’ or five pillars of justice, including ‘Yuva Nyay’, ‘Naari Nyay’, ‘Kisaan Nyay’, ‘Shramik Nyay’ and ‘Hissedari Nyay’ as well as the guarantees made by it to the people as part of its poll promises for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The party in its manifesto also says that the party will conduct a nationwide Socio-Economic and Caste Census to enumerate the castes and sub-castes and their socio-economic conditions and it will pass a constitutional amendment to raise the 50% cap on reservations for SC, ST and OBC. The Congress manifesto was compiled after carrying out nationwide consultations and after receiving thousands of suggestions via email and our ‘Awaaz Bharat Ki’ website, as per the party.
“I urge everyone to have a close look at our manifesto and you will see a ‘shandaar tasveer’ (beautiful picture) of our country in it,” the Congress president said while addressing the gathering.
“We will open the doors to the poor when we come to power....PM Modi is taking our people and claiming ‘400 Paar’ MPs,” Kharge added.
Only those who have done something and have fear are quitting the party to join the BJP, he said. The Congress Working Committee (CWC) met in March and ‘deliberated’ thoroughly on the party’s manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Highlights of the manifesto included the following:
Speaking at the manifesto launch programme, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the Lok Sabha polls are between forces who are trying to destroy the Constitution and democracy, and those protecting them. Gandhi further said that it is a much closer contest than propagated by the media, and expressed confidence of winning the polls.
Gandhi also said the INDIA bloc has decided that it is fighting an ideological election and a decision on the PM candidate will be taken after the polls.
Shoma Sen gets bail in Elgar Parishad case
The Supreme Court on April 5 granted bail to activist Shoma Sen, accused under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, in the Bhima Koregaon violence case.
A Bench headed by Justice Aniruddha Bose said conditions, including a finding that the accused is not prima facie guilty of the offence, under Section 43(D)(5) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act would not apply as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has not opposed the plea for bail.
The NIA has conveyed that Sen’s custody was not necessary, the court noted. The court also took into consideration her plea that she was of an advanced age and required medical attention. “She should not be denied the privilege of being released on bail,” the court observed.
The court clarified that the observations made in its order was interim and prima facie in nature and subject to the final findings of the trial court. The apex court has directed Sen not to leave Maharashtra. She has to surrender her passport.
Atishi on Election Commission notice: ‘Is EC a subsidiary organisation of BJP?’
Delhi Minister and senior AAP leader Atishi lashed out at the Election Commission (EC) after she was served a show-cause notice on Friday, asking if it was a “subsidiary organisation” of the BJP.
The notice was issued to her over her remarks that the BJP had approached her to either join the party or be prepared to be nabbed by the Enforcement Directorate within a month.
In a press conference, Atishi alleged that the notice was leaked to the media by the BJP an hour before the Election Commission sent it to her through email.
She asked why the Election Commission did not issue notices to the central agencies concerned after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested and bank accounts of the Congress were frozen ahead of elections.
Wondering if the Election Commission is a “subsidiary organisation” of the BJP, Atishi said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) wrote multiple letters to the poll panel over the BJP’s “objectionable” hoardings and posters, but no action was taken on them.
Atishi said she will reply to the notice and remind the Election Commission of the neutrality and non-partisanship expected of it in conducting free and fair elections in the country.
Text book revision: NCERT drops some references to Babri demolition, Gujarat riots, Manipur
Dropping references of demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, the mention of Muslims killed in Gujarat riots, references to Manipur, and clarifying India’s stand on Jammu and Kashmir are the latest round of revisions made public by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) in its textbooks for Class 11 and 12.
The changes documented by the NCERT in a tabular format do not yet reflect in the online textbooks, but sources say textbooks will be updated soon. “Content is updated as per latest development in politics. Text on Ayodhya issue has been thoroughly revised because of the latest changes brought by Supreme Court’s Constitutional Bench verdict and its widespread welcoming reception,” the NCERT has said in its rationale for revising content in textbooks.
Further, in Chapter 5 of Class 11 political science textbook Democratic Politics-I, the mention of Gujarat Riots has been dropped. In page 86, while the existing version reads, “Do you notice references to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in the news collage on this Page? These references reflect the growing awareness of human rights and struggles for human dignity. Many cases of human rights violations in diverse fields, for instance, Gujarat riots, are being brought to the public notice from across India.”
The NCERT has said that this will be changed to, “Many cases of human rights violations in diverse fields are being brought to the public notice from across India.”
The clarification NCERT has provided for the change reads, “The news collage and content refer to an incident that is 20-years-old and has been resolved through the judicial process.”
In another stark change, consider page 112 of Class 11 political science textbook titled ‘Political Theory,’ where in Chapter 8 - Secularism, the NCERT has dropped the reference of Muslims killed in post-Godhra riots.
While the existing version reads, “More than 1,000 persons, mostly Muslims, were massacred during the post-Godhra riots in Gujarat in 2002,” the changed version will reflect, “More than 1,000 persons were killed during the post-Godhra riots in Gujarat in 2002.”
The NCERT has cited a clarification for the change saying, “In any riots people across communities suffer. It cannot just be one community.”
In chapter 8, ‘Recent Developments in Indian Politics,’ of Class 12 political science text book, the existing version on Page 136 reads ‘What is the legacy of the Ram Janambhoomi movement and the Ayodhya demolition for the nature of political mobilisation?’ This sentence in the revised textbooks will read ‘What is the legacy of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement?’
The NCERT has said that the change is being made “to bring the initial questions in synchronisation with internal latest changes made in the chapter.”
On dropping the reference to Babri Masjid demolition, in the same chapter, on page 139, the existing version reads, “Fourth, a number of events culminated in the demolition of the disputed structure at Ayodhya (known as Babri Masjid) in December 1992. This event symbolised and triggered various changes in the politics of the country and intensified debates about the nature of Indian nationalism and secularism. These developments are associated with the rise of the BJP and the politics of ‘Hindutva’.”
However, the changed version, NCERT has stated, will read, “Fourth, the centuries old legal and political dispute over the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya started influencing the politics of India, which gave birth to various political changes. The Ram Janmabhoomi Temple Movement, becoming the central issue, transformed the direction of the discourse on secularism and democracy. These changes culminated in the construction of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya following the decision of the Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court (which was announced on November 9, 2019).”
On page 18, in the first chapter of the Class 12 book, on reference of Manipur, the existing version reads, “The Government of India succeeded in pressurising the Maharaja into signing a Merger Agreement in September 1949, without consulting the popularly elected Legislative Assembly of Manipur. This caused a lot of anger and resentment in Manipur, the repercussions of which are still being felt.”
In the changed version reference of Manipur has been dropped and the revised statement is, “The Government of India succeeded in persuading the Maharaja into signing a Merger Agreement in September 1949.”
Also in Chapter 7 titled ‘Regional Aspiration,’ on page 119, referring to the border dispute between India and Pakistan, while the existing version reads, “India claims that this area is under illegal occupation. Pakistan describes this area as ‘Azad Pakistan’,” the changed version will read, “However, it is the Indian territory which is under illegal occupation of Pakistan called as Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK).”
The NCERT has clarified that the change which has been introduced is in complete concurrence with the latest position of the government of India in regard to Jammu and Kashmir.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard commander vows retaliation for strike that killed top generals
Iran’s commander of the powerful Revolutionary Guard General Hossein Salami on April 5 said “no threat will go unanswered” in retaliation for the air strike widely attributed to Israel that destroyed Iran’s Consulate in the Syrian capital and killed seven of the guard’s members.
This came after thousands marched chanting “death to Israel” and “death to America” during the killed officers’ funeral procession. The marches in the capital, Tehran, along with protests in other Iranian cities, came at a time of heightened concerns about possible retaliation by Iran for Monday’s strike that killed 12 people, including four Syrian citizens and a member of the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group, according to officials.
The protesters in the capital headed to Tehran University where Salami gave his speech. “The collapse of (the Zionist regime) is very possible and close with God’s grace,” Salami said, adding that the U.S. has become “wildly hated by the world, especially in Muslim-dominated countries.” He added that Israel’s current survival depended on U.S. support.
Salami said that “resistance groups in Gaza are surrounded by Israel.. and weapons can’t be transported to them,” referring to the Israel-Hamas war that broke out on October 7.
The public funeral coincided with Iran’s annual rally Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, a traditional show of support for the Palestinians that has been held on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Poll roundup
- The BJP on April 5 termed the Congress’s manifesto a “bundle of lies”, which was brought out to “create confusion among the voters”, since the party, despite being in power for much of the history of independent India, had not fulfilled any of the promises made in its earlier manifestos. BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi also alleged that the Congress manifesto had used photographs of Thailand, which, Trivedi referred to as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s “favourite place”, and one from Buffalo in the United States. Trivedi said the Congress, which ruled the country for several decades, was talking about ‘nyay’ (justice) today, but its governments did not do justice when in power.
- Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) president and Chief Minister P.S. Tamang on April 5 released the party’s manifesto for the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls in the State promising social uplift. The manifesto is based on nine guarantees for social uplift — dignity, capability, good governance, education, health, empowerment, pride, prosperity and social equality. The 56-page manifesto titled “9 Guarantees of P S Tamang” was unveiled in the presence of senior party leaders and party supporters from Zoom-Salghari, Rinchenpong, Daramdin and Soreng-Chakung constituencies of Soreng and Gyalshing districts.
In Brief
RBI Monetary Policy Committee holds rate at 6.5% to tame inflation
The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) on April 5 decided to keep the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) unchanged at 6.50%. This is the 7th time that the rates have been kept on hold. The MPC also decided to remain focused on withdrawal of accommodation to ensure that inflation progressively aligns to the target, while supporting growth. “These decisions are in consonance with the objective of achieving the medium-term target for consumer price index (CPI) inflation of 4% within a band of +/- 2%, while supporting growth,” RBI governor Shaktikanta Das announced after the MPC meeting.
India removes export curbs on select goods for Maldives
India on Friday removed export curbs on specified quantity of certain commodities such as eggs, potatoes, onions, rice, wheat flour, sugar, and dal for Maldives during the current fiscal year. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) in a notification said these exports have been permitted to Maldives under bilateral trade agreement between the countries during 2024-25. “Export of eggs, potatoes, onions, rice, wheat flour, sugar, dal, stone aggregate and river sand have been permitted to Maldives... The export of these items to Maldives will be exempted from any existing or future restriction/prohibition on export,” the DGFT said. In general, there is either a restriction or prohibition on the exports of these goods.
Zee to trim 15% of workforce
Broadcaster Zee Entertainment said on April 5 it is cutting 15% of its workforce in its latest bid to trim costs. The job cuts could affect nearly 700 employees at the company, which had a total headcount of 4,577 employees, according to its latest annual report. Broadcast, Digital, Movies and Music will be the 4 key business verticals in the lean structure. This is part of Zee’s move to substantially cut costs and reduce losses in its business. Zee has had two major deals fail in January — a $10 billion merger with Sony India and a $1.4 billion cricket broadcasting deal with Walt Disney. Earlier this week, Zee Chief Executive Punit Goenka took a 20% pay cut.
Evening Wrap will return tomorrow.
