Congress unleashes sop parade

25 Mar 2009

NEW DELHI: 25kg of rice at Rs 3 a kg every month for BPL families. Rs 100 a day under NREGA. Need based scholarships for all students. Free education for SC and ST kids upto university. Minority quotas in government jobs. Direct income support to farmers. One-third quota for women in central government jobs.

Throw in a promise to modernise the police and combat terrorism and a commitment to inclusive growth, Congress's manifesto for the 2009 elections suits the term "please all" in almost every way. Going all out to woo every significant sectional interest and cover all bases, the UPA lead player has laid out a sop parade.

Under the over-arching appeal spelt out by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that Congress was best placed to tackle the serious security challenges in the neighbourhood and the economic slowdown -- as compared to a BJP caught up with a "hate agenda" exemplified by Varun Gandhi -- Congress offered itself as an embodiment of middle-of-way moderation.

Congress has always attacked BJP for being "divisive" and the Varun Gandhi episode has given it the opening it needs to drive the point home. The "other" Gandhi's utterances saw the PM describing BJP's "endorsement " of its nominee as "shameful" while Sonia said no "sane person" would claim such a hate-laden speech reflected Congress culture.

In his responses to media questions, the PM said BJP had no capacity or will to grapple with domestic and international issues. He described both BJP and Left has regressive parties opposed to India's widening engagement with the world.

The manifesto makes no bones about its populism. Apart from a pledge to aim for high growth with low inflation, Congress has clearly sought the first mover's advantage on aam aadmi measures. Having been at the receiving end of populist promises held out by regional parties, Congress has reinvented itself with party chief Sonia Gandhi playing the role of lady bountiful to the hilt.

The image of benign benevolence is central to the poll document as the party has something for everyone. A few lines on being committed to a path of "fiscal responsibility" are drowned out by promises for special schemes for rural women, marginal farmers, toddy tappers, weavers, plantation and construction labour, fisherfolk, mine and beedi workers. There is also, in a mandatory sort of way, a pledge to extend interest relief to all farmers who repay loans on schedule.

Despite having failed to deliver on demands like quotas in private sector and for minorities, the manifesto speaks of a special minority outreach. It claims that Congress has pioneered quotas for minorities in Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh on the basis of social and economic backwardness and this would be the model at the national level too. On the development front, it speaks of an emphasis for small entrepreneurs and all villages being connected with an IT broadband network.

There is also an interesting proposal of launching a voluntary national youth corps to enable those between 18-23 years to serve upto two years in constructive nation-building for "suitable compensation". Though ill-defined, the scheme could well be aimed at a youth mobilisation that will also yield a crop of Congress supporters.

Congress said it would provide two model schools in a block and launch a massive programme for skill development. It even took a leaf out of TDP's direct cash transfer promise and said farmers in ecologically vulnerable areas would be given direct income assistance. The party said it would pass the rehabilitation bill that was left as part of Parliament's unfinished business.

The PM chose to indicate Congress's priorities when he acknowledged that food prices were on the higher side but put this down to the government's bid to keep the rural economy in the pink of health by large increases in minimum support prices. He agreed that the consumer had to foot a higher bill. The reply might be politically a little incorrect given that the urban electorate can hardly be ignored, particularly after delimitation.