HYDERABAD: The Grand Alliance, to be known as the ‘People’s Front,’ henceforth, has gone all out to win over the hearts of voters by including promises like bringing petroleum products under GST, offering Rs 3,000 as stipend for unemployed youth, Rs 2 lakh loan waiver to farmers and others in its Common Minimum Programme (CMP) released on Monday.
After teaming up under the umbrella of People’s Front, partners in the coalition - Congress, TDP, CPI and TJS have come up with the CMP, including several populist promises and demands. The vision document of Opposition parties includes not just promises which have already been popular with people, but several other attractive ones, as the People’s Front is taking on the ruling TRS in a do-or-die battle for the upcoming Assembly polls in the State.
“CMP is the policy document which will guide the People’s Front before polls and our coalition government after coming to power. A statutory committee headed by TJS chief M Kodandaram will be formed to implement all the promises listed in the CMP. Unlike KCR, we will implement all the promises listed in the CMP like the Rs 2 lakh loan waiver for farmers, Rs 3,000 stipend for unemployed youth,” TPCC chief Uttam Kumar Reddy said after releasing the CMP, along with TTDP president L Ramana, TJS founder M Kodandaram, CPI leader Palla Venkat Reddy in Hyderabad.
The CMP is set to turn heads in not just political circles but also among public as it includes bringing petro products under GST. This is a popular demand of the people, but leads to considerable revenue loss to the State.
Citing the same reason, TRS government expressed its helplessness in bringing petroleum products under GST. Now the People’s Front has vowed to bring petro products under GST, in an obvious attempt to score over the TRS, in spite of financial burden on the exchequer. Not withstanding TRS leaders’ allegations that the State budget is not sufficient to implement promises made by the People’s Front, the Congress-led coalition has gone an extra mile with its Common Minimum Program.