MUMBAI, May 18: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge today said that the Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) partners will adopt a Common Minimum Programme for effective and proper governance.
Addressing a press conference along with senior INDIA leaders including Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Sanjay Raut and others, Kharge said that the INDIA government will follow the CMP as well as implement the guarantees promised in the Congress manifesto.
He disclosed that during his 53 years in politics he had never seen such misuse of power as is being done by the BJP. He pointed out how a democratically elected government in Maharashtra was replaced through threats, intimidation and inducements.
He said Maharashtra was not the first state as this had happened earlier in other states like Manipur, Karnataka, Goa and Madhya Pradesh.
“It is the worst type of politics of betrayal”, he remarked, while pointing out how constitutional institutions were misused.
Kharge also mentioned how the party symbols were denied to the original parties after the division. He said, while these may seem to be the judicial or Election Commission’s decisions, these have an imprint of Modi on them.
He alleged that not only was Modi misusing the investigating agencies, but he was also trying to divide people and society with his speeches.
Kharge observed that there was lot of anger among people and now it was a direct fight between the BJP on the one hand and the people of the country on the other. He said, eventually it will be the people’s victory.
The Congress president expressed confidence that the INDIA bloc will win maximum seats, as many as 46 out of 48 in Maharashtra as it was poised to form the government at the centre.
While emphasising that a Common Minimum Programme will be adopted after the formation of the government, Kharge listed some of the guarantees the Congress has given to the people. He said, Congress believes in fulfilling its guarantees as has been done in Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh where it is in power.
Besides doubling the free ration from five to ten kgs, he said, poor families will be provided a monthly cash assistance of Rs 8,500, fresh graduates will be provided guaranteed first year apprenticeship under ‘pehli naukri pakki’ scheme with an assured income of Rs 1 lakh for one year, loans of farmers and students will be waived off, health insurance cover of Rs 25 lakh and security to gig workers will be provided, GST will be reformed and all other guarantees will be fulfilled.
Replying to a question on Modi’s various allegations, the Congress president said, he can only speak about his own party’s manifesto and not what Modi says as he keeps on saying irrelevant things and levels baseless allegations.
