Doles And Sops In TMC Manifesto
By A Special Correspondent
First publised on 2021-03-18 10:22:31
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The Trinamool Congress has come out with a populist manifesto that puts its faith in handouts and doles to win pubic favour. Further, the party has taken note of the fact that women vote for it more than men and has suitably announced many sops for them in the same.
To begin with, the party has announced that if voted back to power, it will provide monthly basic income to 1.6 crore poor families at the rate of Rs 500 for general category and Rs 1000 for SC/ST category. At the present rate of average expenditure documented for families in the state, this translates into 10 percent and 20 percent of the same respectively. But nowadays, people want work and not doles. The Congress had also promised a universal basic income in its manifesto before the 2019 general elections but could not get traction for the same.
The manifesto also promises to provide credit cards to students with a limit Rs 10 lakh to fund higher studies at just 4% interest and easy repayment option with the government standing as guarantor. It will also provide Rs 10000 per hectare per annum to small and marginal farmers through the Krishak Bondhu scheme. The party has also promised to build 25 lakh low-cost houses with improved drainage and piped drinking water for poor families and examine how more communities can be brought under OBCs.
From the manifesto it is clear that the party is trying to woo the people with doles. It has perhaps identified that joblessness, reduced incomes and loss of livelihood because of a tottering economy and the effects of the lockdown are troubling the poor most. Hence it is trying to win their favour by promising to help them in this time of distress.
It remains to be seen if the people put other considerations on the backburner and are enticed by these sops to vote for the TMC. For, there are many political considerations that are changing the game and the BJP is sure to take advantage of them to try and reduce the effect of these sops. The polls are going to be tightly contested and it will need more than these sops for the TMC to stop the BJP bandwagon in taking over its citadel.
pic courtesy: zeenews.com
