New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) second edition of its three-part manifesto squarely focused on a major chunk of the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) vote bank, highlighting a slew of measures for the national capital’s auto rickshaw drivers, taxi drivers, and domestic workers ahead of the Delhi assembly elections.
In the manifesto’s part 2, the BJP also promised free education “from KG to PG” for needy students in government institutes and one-time financial assistance of Rs 15,000 for those preparing for competitive exams.
“SC (scheduled caste) students will get a monthly stipend of Rs 1,000 under the Dr B.R. Ambedkar Stipend Yojana,” said BJP MP Anurag Thakur, as he unveiled the party’s ‘Sankalp Patra’. The number of beneficiaries of the PM SVANidhi Yojana would be doubled, he added.
The BJP has been out of power in Delhi since 1998 and is eyeing this election as an opportunity to get back in the saddle. The party has not announced any chief ministerial candidate and is banking on the brand Narendra Modi.
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However, there are “freebies” galore this time around.
The BJP is majorly wooing auto rickshaw drivers—seen as a core vote bank for the AAP who have helped in their past victories.
The party has promised to constitute a welfare board for them and for the city’s taxi drivers too, offering a life-time insurance of Rs 10 lakh, a vehicle insurance of Rs 5 lakh, and scholarship for their children.
Anurag Thakur said that apart from financial assistance, the party would also reimburse two-time travel and application fees for entrance exams of all needy children.
For domestic workers in the unorganised sector, the party announced another welfare board, and life insurance of Rs 10 lakh, accident insurance of Rs 5 lakh, plus scholarship for their children. They would also get 6-month paid maternity leave.
In the first part of its manifesto, presented by party chief J.P. Nadda last Friday, the BJP had promised Rs 2,500 monthly aid for women, and LPG cylinders at Rs 500 to those from economically weaker sections. The AAP has announced Rs 2,100 to women in direct cash transfers.
On Tuesday, Thakur also said the party would form a special investigation team to strengthen its “zero tolerance” policy on misgovernance and corruption by the AAP government.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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