Jobs, freebies galore in Congress' Abhaya Hastham in Telangana

HYDERABAD: The Congress on Friday unveiled its manifesto, titled Abhaya Hastham, for the Telangana Assembly elections, which the party believes has something for every citizen. The manifesto is an amalgamation of the party’s declarations for specific groups — farmers,  SCs, STs, BCs, youth, women, and minorities — and its “six guarantees” as well as a slew of other promises. The 42-page-long document also has “Hyderabad Vision 2030”. 

Congress also released a “job calendar”, giving specific dates for issuing job notifications if voted to power while promising that aspirants will be exempted from paying any application fee. The Congress also promised to fill the 2 lakh existing vacancies within one year of assuming power. 

As reported by TNIE, the manifesto includes the Kalyanamastu scheme wherein 10 grams of gold along with `1 lakh financial assistance will be provided to girls from BPL families at the time of their marriage.
In its manifesto, the Congress promised to re-introduce Praja Darbar at the state level with the chief minister and at the constituency level with the MLAs on a daily basis.

The party also promises to order an inquiry by a retired High Court judge into the allegations of corruption in the Kaleshwaram project. It also promises to create a few more new districts. Prominent among the promises is replacing the controversial Dharani portal with “Bhumata” and justice to all farmers who have lost their land rights. As part of its “Hyderabad Vision’’ the Congress promises four maternity and veterinary hospitals, and two eye and ENT hospitals in the city. 

High command will monitor six guarantees: AICC president Kharge

As part of its “Hyderabad Vision’ the Congress promises to set up waste management and recycling units, multipurpose parks, modernize nalas and turn the state capital into an inundation-free Hyderabad. The party also promises to waive municipal penalties on house tax and property tax, and reduce tax to holders of white ration cards. 

Notably, the Congress also promises to bring legislation for the protection of alienated lands of temples, mosques, and churches and to provide Rs 12,000 financial assistance every month for incense and lamps to temples, adivasi and tribal priests. The party also promises to provide ID cards and sex change certificates to transgenders to ensure their safety. 

Emphasizing the sanctity of the “six guarantees”, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge issued a stern warning to his party leaders that the high command may take them to task if they are not implemented as soon as the Congress forms the government in the state. 

“I want to tell the leaders sitting on the dais that you have to take a decision with regard to all the six guarantees in the first cabinet itself. If you fail to do it, we will ask you to replace the team with others,” Kharge warned. He said that the manifesto was like the Gita, Quran or the Bible to the party. Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, Kharge pointed out that both have stopped criticizing each other.

ALSO READ | AICC president questions KCR’s role in Telangana formation

“Modi’s voice against KCR has lowered and KCR has also stopped speaking much against Modi. KCR speaks only as much as he is allowed to by Modi,” the AICC president said. Taking a broadside against the prime minister over his promise of SC sub-categorisation, Kharge said that if the BJP government was serious, it only has to issue an ordinance and pass it in Parliament as the party has a two-thirds majority.  “Nothing will happen with shedding tears, Modi ji,” he said. 

ALSO READ | Congress promises 2L jobs, releases ‘job calendar’ in Telangana

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