Party also promises debt relief for women who took loans from micro finance banks
Waiving off the debts of farmers and beginning the process of identification of illegal immigrants topped the list of promises in the Congress manifesto that former party president Rahul Gandhi released in Guwahati on Saturday.
The party also promised to write off the debts of women who have taken loans from micro finance banks, provide free yarn, loom and other equipment to them and make their travel in State buses free.
The Congress pledged to take steps to solve the problem of illegal immigrants based on the March 25, 1971 cut-off date as prescribed in the Assam Accord.
It said the process of identifying illegal immigrants would be according to the decision of the Supreme Court that had monitored the exercise of updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) of 1951.
“The number of NRC offices and recruitment of officials will be started. These offices will be made functional at the earliest so that people who have been left out have the opportunity of redressing their grievances. It will be ensured that no Indian citizen is left out of the NRC,” the manifesto read.
Mr. Gandhi said the manifesto was prepared with inputs from all sections of the people.
“The document contained the aspirations of people. The BJP and the RSS are attacking the diverse cultures of the nation. They are attacking our language, history, ways of thinking and living. This manifesto is about protecting the idea of Assam, its culture and identity,” he said.
The manifesto incorporated the ‘5 guarantees’ that was part of the party campaign during the run-up to the polls.
“The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which has endangered the language, culture and history of Assam, will not be implemented and rigorous attempts will be made by the Congress party to repeal this law that threatens to divide people.”
The Congress promised to provide five lakh government jobs and 25 lakh jobs in the private sector, raise the daily wage of tea workers to ₹365, free electricity up to 200 units per household and ₹2,000 monthly income support to all housewives.
“A pension will be extended to the families of freedom fighters and martyrs of the Assam Agitation, language movement and the CAA movement. The landless inhabiting State-owned land will be provided ‘land patta’. ST [Scheduled Tribe] status will be given to Tai-Ahom, Moran, Motok, Chutia, Tea-Tribes and Koch-Rajbongshi communities,” the manifesto reads.
Holy places such as ‘namghars’ (Vaishnavite prayer centres), temples, mosques, churches, etc, which have attained an age of 50 years, would be provided financial assistance.
“Kerosene and sugar will be distributed publicly again at minimum price. Gaushalas will be built in each district. A corpus fund will be created for lawyers and ₹5 crore will be extended towards it. Mobile clinics will be set up in poverty-stricken regions of cities and villages.”
