In an apparent view to grab and pull back the steadily alienating minority voters, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday promised through the Trinamool Congress manifesto that if her party comes to power as a constituent of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) in the Centre then it would ban the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), banish National Register of Citizens (NRC) and put a bar on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).
Releasing the TMC’s election manifesto, senior leader and former Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra quoting from Didi’s shapath (promises) said, “If the TMC is voted to power as a part of the INDIA alliance then it will repeal the CAA, abolish the NRC and see to it that UCC does not take place in the entire country.”
The Chief Minister too said similar things at an election rally in Assam. Alleging that the BJP had “turned the entire country into a detention camp,” she said, “If the INDIA Bloc wins, there will be no NRC, CAA and UCC. We will repeal all discriminatory laws.”
She said she had never seen “such a dangerous election in her life”.
There would be “no democracy left and there would be no elections” if Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns to power for the third term, she warned.
Back in Kolkata the ten promises christened Didir Sapath by the party, the TMC also held out dangling a whole range of carrots that ranged from 5 kilogram ration in home delivery mode to ten free LPG cylinders a year for all BPL families.
“This is all about Didir Sapath … we will provide 5 kg ration at the doorstep and give 10 gas cylinders free per year,” Mitra who was flanked by senior leaders Derek O’Brien and Chandrima Bhattacharya said, adding his party would also get replaced the Ayushman Bharat at the all-India level to a `10 lakh medical insurance scheme.
Besides, the students would get a credit card up to Rs 10 lakh for higher studies and the OBCs, SCs and STs would be provided separate higher education scholarships. The elderly too were not left out with a monthly old-age pension of `1,000 for those who cross 60 years.
The party also promised a Minimum Support Price for the farmers which would be 50 per cent higher than the average cost of production of the costs. Besides “Didi’s Sapath also includes an enhanced wage of `400 per day for the job card holders who are enlisted in the 100-days’ work scheme,” said Mitra, adding the new Government in the Centre aided by the TMC would also decrease diesel and petrol prices by formulating a price stabilisation mechanism.
