The Congress manifesto is here
On Friday, the Congress released its 48-page 'Nyay Patra' manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls, riding on five pillars concerning the youth, women, farmers, workers, and equity. It was released in the presence of president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, KC Venugopal and P Chidambaram.
The main talking points: A nationwide socio-economic and caste census, a constitutional amendment to raise the 50% cap on reservations for SC, ST and OBC communities, legal guarantees for Minimum Support Prices (MSP), the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, and introducing a “Rajasthan model” of cashless insurance of up to Rs 25 lakh towards granting universal healthcare.
It has also promised to bring the Women Reservation Act, 2023 into force:
The one-third reservation for women will be applied to State Assemblies that will be elected in the next round of Assembly elections in 2025. The one-third reservation for women will also be applied to the Lok Sabha that will be elected in 2029.
The promise to reserve 50% of central government jobs for women starting in 2025. You can read our Big Story for all the context on the women's reservation bill for the Parliament.
Also: A law to recognize civil unions between same-sex couples, after the Supreme Court last year refused to grant legal recognition (which the party was silent about at the time). An entire section has been dedicated to “Defending the Constitution”, including the protection of journalists and the judicial system.
A Right to Apprenticeship (RTAP): Think MNREGA, but for diploma-holders under 25 years of age. Graduates will be able to legally demand proper formal employment with either a private or public sector entity, along with an annual stipend of one lakh rupees. He explains that the financial load will be shared with the private sector:
“The scheme will benefit both the industry, the government and the students as it would provide employment, dignity and skilling to youth and will help bring down the cost of labour force for companies as the government would share the cost of apprenticeship scheme”.
This manifesto came after last weekend’s INDIA rally in Delhi. Mamata Banerjee was conspicuously absent—but Sagarika Ghose served as the Trinamool rep. Congress, OTOH, sent out its A-list—all the Gandhis plus party prez Mallikarjun Kharge. (The Hindu)
Speaking of the Congress: The party was hit by a new barrage of tax demands—Rs 17.45 billion (1,745 crore) for the years between 2014 and 2017. The IT Department told the SC that they will not pursue coercive action over the notices because they “do not want to cause problems to any political party ahead of polls”. Their appeal will be heard only on July 24, after the polls. (The Hindu)
The BJP crossovers continue
Last week, Congress leaders Gourav Vallabh and Vijender Singh jumped ship to join the BJP. According to an analysis by The Print, of the 417 Lok Sabha candidates announced so far by the BJP, 116 or 28% are defectors from other parties.
That’s more than one in four ‘adopted’ politicians from opposition parties (especially the Congress) since 2014—more in states where the BJP has traditionally been weak. With 64 defecting to the BJP in the election years alone, this strategy has been protested against by long-term party loyalists who have lost their seats. (The Print)
About them defectors: An Indian Express investigation found that 25 prominent politicians facing corruption charges have crossed over to the BJP: “They cut across party lines: 10 are from the Congress; four each from NCP and Shiv Sena; three from TMC; two from TDP; and one each from SP and YSRCP.” Of these, 23 were spared any further action after their defection. Ah, the irresistible charms of the BJP. (Indian Express)
Nomination filing begins
Rahul Gandhi filed his nomination from Wayanad on Wednesday, after calling the region his “home” and the people his “family” in a roadshow. The next day, the BJP sent down Smriti Irani to rally in support of K Surendran, their state president and candidate in the three-way contest with the CPI’s Annie Raja. Why Irani? Because she famously dislodged Rahul from Amethi, a family stronghold, by 55,000 votes in 2019. (Financial Express)
About Amethi: There is no news if Rahul will contest against Irani in Amethi, or whether the Congress will field another high-profile candidate. Meanwhile, Robert Vadra, Priyanka Gandhi’s husband, claimed: “People of [Amethi] expect him to be their representative”. There’s also the Samajwadi Party, its alliance partner to consider. (Indian Express)
Speaking of UP seats: The BJP has not fielded a single Muslim in western UP, while the SP and Bahujan Samaj Party have fielded several Muslims. Rampur, Moradabad, Sambhal and other seats of western UP comprise 23 to 42% of Muslim voters—and the biggest concern for the SP-Congress alliance will be to prevent the scattering or ‘splitting’ of Muslim votes. The reason for this concer: since 2019, the SP has not been as vocal about Muslim-related issues while the BSP has fielded Muslim candidates in every seat where there is a sizable Dalit electorate. (The Telegraph)
Electoral bonds: The latest revelations
According to The Mint, electoral bond donations were not about ideological loyalty to any party. Of the 263 companies that bought bonds more than once, only 91 donated to the same party every time. The BJP had the most number of repeat corporate donors (43) demonstrating loyalty, the biggest being Gurugram-based DLF Commercial Developers. The Trinamool Congress came in next, with 16 loyal donors. (The Mint)
OTOH: Thirty three companies that were making a loss donated a total of Rs 5.82 billion (582 crore)—of which 75% went to BJP. And the source of funding for 45 companies that donated electoral bonds is shady. The paper plainly spells the implications out: “That these loss-making companies made such substantial donations indicates they could be acting as fronts for other firms or have misreported their profits and losses — raising the possibility of money laundering.” That’s truly ironic given the bonds were supposed to eliminate black money from politics. We recommend checking out The Hindu investigation.
A list of good reads
One: Carnegie Endowment has a fascinating deep-dive explaining the rising female voter turnout amid and its possible impact on electoral dynamics.
Two: Financial Times (gift link) compares the BJP government’s spending on different welfare schemes compared to previous governments.
Three: The Hindu reports on the revival of caste rivalries between the Rajputs and Patels in Rajasthan after a BJP Minister’s comments praising the Dalit community’s refusal to bow to the British.
Four: This research paper by Kiran Garimella and Abhilash Datta explores the ‘Arnab effect’ on social media. At least 60% of TV debates featured pro-BJP or anti-opposition content and there was a clear flow of information between TV shows and social media led by BJP leaders and influencers.
