Karnataka: Congress releases poll manifesto, promises to ban Bajrang Dal, PFI

Bengaluru: The Congress poll manifesto, which was released on Tuesday, promises to ban Bajrang Dal and radical Islamist outfit Popular Front of India, arguing that these organisations promote enmity or hatred, among majority or minority communities.

"The Congress Party is committed to take firm and decisive action against individuals and organisations spreading hatred amongst communities on grounds of caste or religion.

"We believe that law and Constitution is sacrosanct and cannot be violated by individuals and Organisations like Bajrang Dal, PFI or others promoting enmity or hatred, whether among majority or minority communities," the manifesto says.

The manifesto says if the party is voted to power in the state, it will take decisive action as per law including imposing a ban on them.

The party also promised to repeal, within 1 year of coming to power, "all unjust laws and other anti-people laws" passed by the BJP government in the state.

The manifesto also included the five guarantees spelt out during the poll campaigns led by Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

The enlisted guarantees are Gruha Jyothi (which promises 200 units of free electricity to all), Gruha Lakshmi (Rs 2,000 monthly to every woman head of the family), Anna Bhagya (10 kg of food grains of their choice - among rice, ragi, jowar, millet - to every person in a BPL family).

Yuva Nidhi (Rs 3,000 every month for two years to unemployed graduates, and Rs 1,500 every month as an allowance for unemployed diploma holders), and Shakti (free travel to all women throughout the state in regular KSRTC/BMTC buses).

The Congress party vowed to increase the ceiling of reservation from 50 per cent to 75 per cent in order to accommodate the hopes and aspirations of SC/ST/OBC/minority and other communities such as Lingayats and Vokkaligas.

The party said it is committed to increase reservation for SCs from 15 to 17 per cent and STs from three to seven percent, and restore minority reservation of 4 per cent, and increase reservation Lingayats, Vokkaligas and other communities.

Apart from these, the party promised -

- to release the socio-economic caste census conducted by Congress government

- to present report of Justice Sadashiva Commission in the first session of legislature

- to make caste slander a punishable offence

- allocation of funds for minority welfare - Muslims, Christian, Jain, Buddhists and others, top be increased to Rs 10,000 cr

- to constitute Dr Abul Kalam Azad Wakf Properties Development Corporation

- Congress announces schemes for Kashmiri Pandits in the state.

- Rs 15 cr to start Kashmiri Culture Centre

- for the third gender Mangalamukhi Welfare Board with Rs 200 cr annual allocation

- census of the transgender population to optimize the reach of welfare schemes

- to establish a gig workers welfare board with allotment of Rs 3,000 cr as seed money for revolving fund

- to mandate minimum hourly wages for all gig and unorganised workers in domestic and personal care, logistics, food delivery, e-pharmacy, transport and other sectors

AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge said that all the promises will be implemented in the first cabinet meeting on the first day of government formation. (UNI)