National Opinions

Nyay Patra Or A-Nyay Patra? Congress’ Manifesto Leaves People With More Questions Than Answers

April 5, 2024
Hydra

With Lok Sabha elections just around the corner, the Congress party has unveiled its manifesto, focusing on what it has termed the “five pillars of justice.” Released on 5 April 2024, the manifesto emphasizes issues such as cash transfers for women, employment opportunities, and a caste census.

We observed a few things as we read through the manifesto. Here’s our list of observations:

Hindi Imposition

The manifesto itself is called Nyay Patra! The 5 “pillars of justice” are also named in Hindi. Titled ‘Paanch Nyay,’ the manifesto outlines five pillars of justice, including ‘Yuva Nyay,’ ‘Naari Nyay,’ ‘Kisaan Nyay,’ ‘Shramik Nyay,’ and ‘Hissedari Nyay.’ – all in Hindi.

This is the case even though a large chunk of the party’s voters reside in non-Hindi-speaking states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Their alliance party member, the DMK, known for crying at the drop of the hat for any of BJP’s schemes which may be in Hindi as “Hindi imposition”, has not uttered a single word against this blatant Hindi imposition by the Congress. 

Uses Images From Other Countries To Denote India

The manifesto uses New York’s Buffalo River picture to show a “dirty” river in India

Even Thailand’s images can be seen as a part of the manifesto to show “lush green” fields!

Hypocrisy Over Democracy

Congress claims to champion democracy in India while simultaneously pledging in its manifesto to remove the elected government of Manipur. This raises questions about the party’s commitment to constitutional principles.

Legalising LGBTQIA+ Marriages

Back in June 2023, the Congress’ X handle shared a post showing support for the “Pride Month” that year. This year, in its election manifesto, it brings back that woke agenda to legalise same-sex marriages.

Weakening The Armed Forces

Here are a few indications as to how Congress will weaken the Armed forces if it comes to power. 

Abolition of the Agnipath Scheme

The Congress has consistently opposed the Agnipath scheme, introduced in 2022, which aims to recruit soldiers on short service contracts. Despite arguments from experts about the potential benefits of keeping the army younger and reducing military pension burdens, the party advocates for canceling Agnipath and reverting to the previous system of long-service recruitment, citing concerns about the scheme weakening the army and depriving Indian youth of employment opportunities.

Defence Reforms

The Congress pledges to unveil a National Security Strategy and intends to overturn the reduction in defense expenditures witnessed during the Modi government’s tenure. Currently, India’s defence allocation for the financial year stands at less than 2% of GDP and approximately 13% of the budget, providing context for the proposed policy shift.

On China

The Congress condemns the Modi government for absolving China of responsibility for the border crisis that began in 2020, asserting that Chinese troops have encroached upon Indian territory. The party pledges to reinstate the status quo along the border and uphold the patrolling rights of Indian soldiers.

Other Promises

The Congress promises to implement a new operational directive for India’s military, focusing on readiness for a two-front war. They also aim to bring the National Security Advisor under parliamentary oversight. Furthermore, they propose the creation of a National Economic Security Board to safeguard vital supply chains. The Congress pledges to increase the involvement of women in both combat and non-combat roles within the military.

Taking The Country Back To Stone Age With Ballot Papers

Congress has promised to make amendments to election laws to integrate the efficiency of electronic voting machines (EVMs) with the transparency of ballot papers. Their proposal includes the fact that voters will cast their votes using EVMs while also having the option to insert the machine-generated voting slip into the voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) unit. The electronic vote count will then be cross-verified against the tally of VVPAT slips. 

This will only allow booth capturing to take place freely and the entire election process to go backward and more cumbersome for the voters and the officials. 

Rahul Gandhi’s grandmother and former PM of India, Indira Gandhi is seen in pictures from 1980 observing the demonstration of EVMs.

Sharia-Compliant Manifesto?

The manifesto states that it will increase scholarships for Muslim students and reinstate the Maulana Azad Scholarships for studying abroad. Additionally, they indicated a willingness to repeal the Triple Talaq Act and support the freedom of choice regarding religious clothing and personal laws for minorities. These proposals align closely with the positions advocated by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, highlighting a convergence of interests between the two entities.

The Congress party has made several promises in its manifesto regarding judicial appointments and the autonomy of various commissions. They pledged to appoint more judges from SC, ST, OBC, and minority communities to the High Courts and Supreme Court. Additionally, they assured to “strengthen” the autonomy of commissions for SC, ST, minorities, and OBC. Furthermore, the manifesto includes a commitment to provide collateral-free education loans up to ₹7.5 lakhs, particularly for students belonging to SC, ST, OBC, EWS, and minority communities.

Promoting Love Jihad & Beef-Eating

In its manifesto, Congress subtly legitimises both beef consumption and the concept of “love jihad,” which has sparked widespread debate. 

The promise reads, “We promise not to interfere with personal choices of food and dress, to love and marry, and to travel and reside in any part of India. All laws and rules that interfere unreasonably with personal freedoms will be repealed.”

While this promise may appear innocuous at first glance, they indirectly endorse practices that have only created a menace. Despite attempts by Congress leaders to downplay the issue of love jihad, numerous cases continue to surface regularly, prompting concerns from various quarters.

To Implement Communal Violence Bill?

The Congress party’s manifesto states a proposal to implement stringent measures against hate crimes and communal conflicts, citing an increase in crimes against women, SC, ST, and minorities according to NCRB data. This is straight out of the draconian Communal Violence Bill that they tried to pass in Parliament. They have also pledged to oppose extra-judicial actions like mob lynching and police encounter killings, aiming to put an end to such practices and punish perpetrators within the bounds of the law.

Investigative Agencies To Be Under Parliament Purview?

Included in the Congress manifesto is a concerning proposal to subject police, investigative, and intelligence agencies to parliamentary oversight. This move has raised alarms as it could potentially compromise the independence of these agencies, making them vulnerable to interference from lawmakers and undermining their ability to operate impartially.

It’s important to note that similar efforts were made during the UPA II regime. In 2012, a draft legislation was introduced in parliament aiming to establish these agencies as statutory bodies accountable to a committee under the prime minister’s authority. The proposed legislation aimed to subject agencies such as the Intelligence Bureau (IB), Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), and National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) to parliamentary oversight.

Foreign Policy

The manifesto’s proposal on foreign policy is slightly dizzying to read but here is a deconstruct of the points elucidated. 

  • First, they want to restore the Nehruvian consensus. This so-called Nehruvian approach cost India a very large part of its land – PoK, Aksai Chin, Coco Island, etc, a seat at the UNSC, taking the Kashmir issue to the UN, etc.
  • Stating that the Modi government’s foreign policy on Gaza is a departure from this approach is a lie. India’s stand on Gaza is still the same. However, under Modi, India condemned Hamas terrorism, does the Congress intend to undo this? 
  • The manifesto also states that it will engage with Pakistan. It also states that Modi ruined India’s image. Had it been so, would it have been possible to pause a war to allow our students to pass during the Russia-Ukraine conflict? 
  • On China, the manifesto states, “We will take the necessary steps to adjust our policy towards China until this is achieved.”  
  • Point 8 says Congress will “adjust” policy with China. The Modi government has spent a lot of time in setting right the wrong policies that were initiated by the UPA government and in building border infrastructure. Imports from China made local products and businesses perish but the same are seeing better days now. 
  • The next point says – “We will repair relations with the Maldives and work with Myanmar to protect the political and human rights of the people of Myanmar.” One wonders if it refers to the Rohingyas in Myanmar. 

The Caste Census

The Caste census is a way to divide the country on caste lines and will take the country back by decades.

Hypocrisy On Farm Laws

The Congress once criticized the farm laws, advocating for better provisions for farmers, yet their new manifesto proposes giving farmers the option to sell their produce anywhere to anyone. 

Other Problematic Points In Manifesto Include:

  • Bringing back the Planning commission
  • Waiving off student loans
  • Paying 1 lakh to all women 

  • Allowing “minorities” to live according to their laws (Read Muslim law)
  • Managing territorial disputes (read more like not caring about frontier territories)
  • Detailed “investigation” of Electoral Bond scheme 
  • Reopening defence-related “scams” like Rafale 

There is nothing for Hindus in the manifesto, but this is one manifesto that entirely appeases minorities.

Overall, this is a manifesto that will undo all the progress that has been achieved in the past decade. Voters need to discern which government will give them progress and which one will make the country go bankrupt. 

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