About five years ago, the Bharatiya Janata Party grabbed the attention of the nation with its election manifesto that encompassed a wide range of issues, including inflation control, employment, introduction of uniform civil code, decentralisation, e-governance, Ram temple construction, minimisation of black money, repealing of Article 370 and elimination of corruption among scores of others. It was a source of relief and hope for thousands of Indians who have had enough of corruption and indifferent attitude of the then scam-ridden Congress leaders. The people of the country looked up to Narendra Modi and the BJP-led NDA to bring change. The party received the mandate of the people, thanks to its tall promises.
After experiencing a humiliating defeat, the Congress is currently in a similar situation that the BJP was in about five years ago – as far as desperation to form the government is concerned. Its party president Rahul Gandhi has released an ambitious manifesto ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The 55-page manifesto titled ‘Hum Nibhayenge’ (We will deliver) has a slew of promises, including assurance of INR 72,000 per year to five crore poor families of the country under the ‘Nyay’ scheme; filling up of lakhs of government vacancies; and special focus on the farmers. However, one that has caught the eyes of the people is the ambitious ‘Nyay’ scheme – a trump card for the Congress to win this election but dubbed as a pre-poll gimmick by the BJP. The scheme looks good in paper but it is blurry at the moment as the party has not uttered a word on how it will be financed. Apart from that, identifying the deserving beneficiaries will be a cumbersome task considering the controversy around the creamy layer in the existing reservation policy for the underprivileged section of the society. While there are also possibilities of the scheme running into trouble during the implementation process like several other social-welfare schemes and some people giving up employment because of the guaranteed income, the scheme, if implemented well has the potential to eradicate poverty in the country. The benefit may outweigh the possible drawbacks. However, instances of unfulfilled promises in the past, including those that BJP promised in its 2014 Lok Sabha election manifesto, makes one question whether the Congress can actually deliver the goods if voted to power.
It is through the election manifesto that the people come to know the policies that a particular political party plans to implement. So, such proposals form the basis of election campaign – an instrument to convince the electorates. A well-planned election manifesto may help garner support from the public but there is no guarantee that it will be fulfilled after the polls, making the otherwise important tool of democracy vague. It has also lost its relevance over the years due to poor track record of pre-poll promises being fulfilled. It is time political parties stop fooling the citizens with “unimplementable” and “impractical” promises just to get votes. Such short-term vision may offer immediate gains but can have grave repercussions in the long run.
