Haryana polls: Free electricity, MSP, caste census, key highlights of Congress manifesto

Chandigarh: Ahead of the Haryana assembly elections, the Congress Party on Saturday released its manifesto with major promises ranging from free electricity, free medical treatment, financial assistance to women, MSP guarantee to the farmers and conducting caste census in the state.

The manifesto was released in the presence of Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda, former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) President Udai Bhan.

In the major highlights of the manifesto, the Congress party has promised to provide 300 units of free electricity and free medical treatment up to Rs 25 lakhs to every family in Haryana.

On similar lines as Madhya Pradesh’s ‘Ladli Behen Yojana’ and Maharashtra’s ‘Ladki Behen Yojana’, the Congress has also promised to provide Rs 2000 per month to women, aged 18-60 in the state. The manifesto also promises to provide Rs 500 for Gas cylinders.

Just like the Lok Sabha elections, Congress has promised a legal guarantee of Minimum Support Price for crops (MSP) and immediate compensation for crops. The Congress party said that they would form a farmer commission and give subsidies on diesel to farmers.

In its manifesto, the Congress promised to provide a plot of 200 yards of land and a house with two rooms to the poor section of the society in the state.
Another major highlight of the manifesto is the promise to conduct a caste-based survey in the state — an idea the Congress party has long been voicing for. Additionally, the party has said that it will increase the limit of the creamy layer to Rs 10 lakhs.

Congress has promised to give 2 lakhs permanent jobs to youths and promised to make the state free from drug-free. In contrary to the Centre, the Congress has promised to restore the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). To promote social justice, the party has promised to give Rs 6000 to senior citizens, handicapped and widows under Budhapa Pension, Divyang Pension and Vidhwa Pension respectively.

Congress leader Geeta Bhukkal said, “We talk about giving a safe Haryana in our manifesto. We will build a university in Kurukshetra in the name of Guru Govind Singh Ji. We will also work to give respect to Punjabi language. We will build a university in Mewat.”

At the launch event of the manifesto, Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that the manifesto was created after a lot of hard work. He conveyed that a lot of things in the manifesto have been taken from Rajasthan and several other states.

Hooda said, “This manifesto has been made after a lot of hard works and I congratulate the chairperson of the manifesto Geeta Ji and all the members. We learnt a lot of things from Rajasthan when Ashok Gehlot was the Chief Minister. we have researched from all the states.”

Haryana goes to the polls on October 5 to elect a 90-member state legislative assembly to form its next government, with the counting set to take place on October 8.
In 2019, the BJP emerged as the single-largest party with 40 seats. Congress won 30 seats.