THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Having waited in the Opposition for a decade, the Congress in Kerala is eagerly awaiting the arrival of senior leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday to kick-start its assembly election campaign in the state, by announcing the party’s proposed ‘welfare guarantees’.
Rahul will be in Thiruvananthapuram for the culmination of the Puthuyuga Yatra led by Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan. There, he is likely to announce the proposed schemes, which would form the core of the party’s election manifesto.
Through the move, the Congress aims to counter the welfare schemes implemented and announced by the LDF government. Party leaders admitted that though the UDF has been criticising the government, it has so far lacked a set of clear welfare guarantees that would directly appeal to voters.
“We have been in Opposition for the past 10 years. It is a long time in politics,” said a KPCC office-bearer. “What we need are innovative schemes and welfare guarantees that appeal to different sections of society. Rahul Gandhi is expected to outline them. That is, unless there are any last-minute changes,” he said.
Rahul had announced similar schemes ahead of the Karnataka and Telangana assembly elections. The KPCC believes the party must build credibility among weaker sections that have benefitted from the LDF government’s schemes. This, said a leader, can be achieved by highlighting promises already implemented in states where the party is in power.
As was the case in other states, the proposed guarantee schemes are expected to include targeted welfare benefits, direct financial assistance and state-specific promises, to reach out to key voter groups.