BJP unveils Assam manifesto; promises to work on ‘corrected NRC’

March 23: The Election Manifesto of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the state of Assam was released in Guwahati on Tuesday by the national president of the party JP Nadda just before the ensuing assembly elections. Unveiling the “Sankalpa Patra” in Guwahati,  BJP national president, JP Nadda said, “We are committed to bringing a corrected NRC to secure and protect Assam…We will protect genuine Indian citizens and detect illegal infiltrators so that Assam can remain Assam’s.”

The final Assam NRC — which excluded 19 lakh people — was published on August 31, 2019. Following that, the Sarbananda Sonowal-led BJP government, alleging wrongful exclusions and inclusions, maintained that it will not accept the NRC in its current form. Since then, the list has remained in a dormant stage, with those excluded not yet issued rejection orders with which they can appeal at the state’s Foreigners’.

Nadda said that the saffron party is committed to make Assam the fastest job creating state in the country. “We will provide 2 lakh jobs in public sector – 1 lakh till 31st March 2022 and the rest till later. We will also provide 8 lakh jobs in private sector.”  With a special focus on women voters, the party has said that it will increase the dole out of Orunudoi — a DBT scheme aimed at women members of underprivileged families — from Rs 830 to Rs 3,000. Thirty lakh families will be brought under it.

Other points include Mission Bala Unnayan, or free education for every child in government schools and free bicycles for students in and above Class 8, and the Assam Aahar Atmanirbharta Yojana, which will drive the state towards self-sufficiency in essential food items.

The BJP is contesting elections in an alliance with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL). As per the seat-sharing pact, the BJP will field candidates from 92 seats while the AGP and UPPL will enter the fray from 26 and 8 seats. Elections for the 126-seat Assam Legislative Assembly are scheduled to take place in three phases from March 27 to April 6. The results will be announced on May 2.