Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said that the Congress party's manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections was more suited for polls in Pakistan rather than for India. Sarma condemned the manifesto of the grand old party, saying it was aimed at dividing the society to come to power.
The Congress party on Friday released its election manifesto titled Nyay Patra. "This is politics of appeasement and we condemn it. The manifesto feels like it is not for elections in Bharat but for Pakistan," news agency PTI quoted Assam CM as saying.
He added that no Indian, either Hindu or Muslim, wants triple talaq to come back or supports child marriage or polygamy. "The mentality of the Congress is to divide the society and come to power," Sarma added.
Congress manifesto promises
Promises under the Congress manifesto include full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, constitutional amendment to raise reservation cap for SCs, STs and OBCs, scrapping the Agnipath scheme, conducting a nationwide caste census, and making the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for medical students optional.
The grand old party further stated in its manifesto that it would direct the armed forces to continue with normal recruitment to achieve full sanctioned strength if it comes to power. The Congress also said that it would revisit the policy of centrally-conducted qualifying exams like Common University Entrance Test (CUET) and make it optional for state governments to adopt these exams for admissions or conduct their own exams.
The grand old party has promised right to apprenticeship in its poll document. The Congress manifesto also includes Mahalakshmi scheme under which every poor Indian family will get Rs 1 lakh as an "unconditional cash transfer."
Congress on Himanta Biswa Sarma's remarks
Calling Sarma a turncoat, Assam Congress spokesperson Bedabrata Bora claimed that the former would not be able to understand the secular and inclusive ethos of the party.
"Sarma had been in the Congress party for several years but he could not understand the main ethos of the party. That is why he went to the BJP. Even after being in the BJP for some time now, he still tries to defame Congress to prove his loyalty to the saffron party," he said.
Bora further said the aim of the party's manifesto is to safeguard the interests of all sections of the society.