The best thing about the BJP manifesto is that it has refrained from fiscal populism and radical promises despite the pressure of pursuing 370 seats.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Picture credit: PTI)

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday promised to bring two big-ticket reforms in the country’s governance in the form of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and making One Nation One Election a reality in his third term. Although the UCC is a decades-old promise, it certainly is the demand of modern times which can go a long way in protecting the rights of women with marriage, divorce, adoption, inheritance etc. One Nation One Election will end the six-monthly cycle of state elections in one part of the country or another and thus reduce the burden on the public exchequer for organising them.

Unveiling the BJP manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha Election under the tagline -Modi ki Guarantee – on Sunday, PM Modi also promised to continue with the free ration scheme to 80 crores poor Indians, free health care under Ayushman Bharat Yojana, Rs 500 monthly cash to 10 crore farmers and reviewing the minimum wages.

The new proposals

Besides, the manifesto also promised to increase the loan under MUDRA Yojna from Rs 10 lakhs to 20 lakhs, free treatments up to Rs 5 lakhs to all senior citizens above 70, free electricity to poor households, build 3 crore houses, connect 1.2 lakh panchayats with optical fibre, take steps to roll out 6G, reduce extreme poverty to less than 1 per cent, make India the manufacturing hub, enhance MSP to farmers, and empower women and make 3 crore Lakhpati Didis.

Making India a developed country by 2047

According to the PM, the aim is not just to return to power but to make the country ‘Viksit Bharat’ which is only possible by improving the lives of the poor and the underprivileged, women and youth, and “providing the nation with exponential growth in the economy and Infrastructure”. While sensitive to the needs and aspirations of millions of GYAN (Garib, Yuva, Anndata, Naari), the BJP is also committed to making India a developed country by 2047 and thus finding its rightful place in the world order. That is why the party talks of making India the third largest economy, a global manufacturing hub, building bullet trains and hosting Olympic games in the same breath as distributing free ration, water, gas and electricity to its marginalised people.

PM has the intent and vision

For a country as vast as India with a mammoth population of 1.5 billion people, everything has to be done on a large scale – consuming resources and time. Running bullet trains from four corners of the country may take decades here compared to a smaller European nation like France or England. Becoming the fifth largest economy must have been easy, but becoming the third largest is certainly not easy. And our generation may not even get to see India becoming the second-largest economy in the world. But what we need is the vision and intent. And it has ample reflection in the BJP’s manifesto.

Realistic BJP against Populist Congress

Compared to Congress’s promise, the BJP Manifesto has the right balance of realism and populism. Take an example, Congress has promised to give legal backing to the Minimum Support Price (MSP) to the farmers. It means that the government will have to compulsorily buy the farmer’s crop, no matter what the quality and the farmer can knock on the court doors if it doesn’t. Even by the conservative estimate, if enforced, this expenditure alone will cost Rs. 10 lakh crores. This is almost one-fourth of the government’s total budget expenditure. Then where will the money for development come from? The BJP, on the other hand, has only promised to enhance the MSP from time to time. And, rightly so.

The issue of employment

Take another example of BJP’s vision. The opposition will grumble that there is no specific target of giving jobs in the BJP’s manifesto. The Congress manifest promised 30 lakh jobs. But if the government is committed to making the country a global manufacturing hub with praiseworthy success in the electronics (Semiconductors), defence, and automobiles sectors, aren’t the jobs being generated automatically? As the Prime Minister today said there is huge potential in the tourism sector and it needs to be unlocked in the next five years, do we need to ask him how many jobs will be given? The fact is, if India reaches its true potential in the tourism sector, it alone can engage crores of youths. The party could have easily given inflated numbers. But it has stayed away from throwing such catchy numbers. Infrastructure, Investment and Start-ups are the new mantra for BJP.

The South India Push continues

The BJP manifesto also caters to its South India push. It promises to help the Tamil language, one of the oldest in the world, to spread and occupy the pride of place in the pantheon of world languages. The party seems to have come a long way from its Jan Sangh days when it insisted on the spread and superiority of Hindi. Again, an example of mature and conciliatory politics.

The saffron party has also promised to work towards improving the quality of life of the tribals. From building Eklavya schools to celebrating the tribal ways of life, the party tends to open jobs and business opportunities for the millions of tribals.