In Chhattisgarh, Congress vows caste survey, higher price for paddy in its manifesto
The election will be held in two phases on November 7 and 17, with vote counting on December 3.
Loan waiver to farmers, procuring paddy at ₹3,200 per quintal, subsidised cooking gas cylinders to women and caste survey are some of the key promises made by the ruling Congress in its Chhattisgarh manifesto, released just two days ahead of the first phase of assembly elections in Chhattisgarh.
Chhattisgarh is scheduled to vote in two phases — November 7 and 17. The votes will be counted on December 3. The Congress is looking to retain power in the state.
The manifesto, titled “Bharose ka Ghoshna Patra 2023-28”, was unveiled at six different places in the state — Raipur, Rajnandgaon, Jagdalpur, Bilaspur, Ambikapur and Kawardha. Chief minister Bhupesh Baghel released the manifesto in Rajnandgaon while party’s state in-charge Kumari Selja unveiled it in state capital Raipur.
Speaking at the launch of the manifesto, Baghel announced that if his party were to be re-elected, the government would procure “20 quintals of paddy from each farmer at ₹3,200 per quintal”. The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, in its manifesto released on November 3, promised to procure 21 quintals of paddy per acre at ₹3,100.
Both Congress and BJP manifestos have focussed on big pledges for cultivators, considered a key demographic in the upcoming assembly polls.
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The price of paddy has always been an election-defining issue in Chhattisgarh, particularly in the rural plains in the centre of the state. During his 15 years in power, former Chief Minister Raman Singh had earned goodwill by strengthening the public distribution system, earning him the moniker “chawal vaale baba”. But it was paddy, and the BJP reluctance to implement a promised paddy bonus, juxtaposed with the Congress promise of an increased price that brought the latter to power in a sweeping win in 2018.
He further announced to waive outstanding farm loans around ₹5,500 crore, besides the loans of self-help groups.
“Like last time, farm loans will be waived. As soon as the Congress government was formed in 2018, we waived the loans worth ₹9,272 crore of 18.5 lakh farmers. Loans of Self Help Groups and women availed under the Saksham Yojna will also be waived,” Baghel said.
Tendu leaf collection will be done at ₹6,000 per standard sack in place of the existing ₹4,000 and tendu leaf collectors will additionally get an annual bonus of ₹4,000, he added.
He also promised to provide women a subsidy of ₹500 per LPG cylinder.
“A Mahtari Nyay Yojana will be launched for mothers and sisters, under which a subsidy of ₹500 per cooking gas cylinder will be given to women of all income groups and the subsidy will be directly deposited into the bank accounts of women,” he said.
The BJP manifesto , too, promised LPG cylinders for ₹500.
“Schemes which are currently operational will continue if the Congress retains power in the state,” he added.
Other key promises include providing 200 units of free electricity for every household in the state, houses to 17.5 lakh poor families, and increasing annual financial assistance given under Rajiv Gandhi Bhoomihin Kisan Nyay Yojna from ₹7,000 to ₹10,000.
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Besides, under the Dr Khubchand Baghel Health Assistance Scheme, the poor will get free treatment up to ₹10 lakh in place of the current ₹5 lakh, and those in the APL category will get up to ₹5 lakh in place of the existing ₹50,000, Baghel announced.
Senior BJP leader and former chief minister Raman Singh, meanwhile, slammed the Congress’s manifesto, saying: “Baghel has promised to hike the paddy rate by ₹100 (per quintal) by copying BJP’s Sankalp Patra (manifesto) but such an act also requires intelligence.The Congress says it will buy 20 quintals of paddy per acre at ₹3200 per quintal, while BJP says it will buy 21 quintals of paddy per acre at ₹3100 per quintal.”
Former minister and chief spokesperson of BJP Ajay Chandrakar, too, said there is nothing new in the manifesto.
“ The manifesto has nothing new …they have repeated what they have promised earlier and had not done. Congress is only talking about promises not achievements in the last five years,” said Chandrakar.
Experts said the Congress strategically released the manifesto after the BJP.
“Before releasing its manifesto, Congress strategically withheld key announcements, one of which was related to increasing the minimum support price (MSP) to ₹3200 per quintal. This move signifies a calculated strategy on the part of the Congress. Another noteworthy point is that while the BJP is talking about giving pending bonuses of the last two years of the BJP regime, the Congress is focusing on waiving off the farmers’ debt accrued during its tenure. The fight is now going to be interesting on ground,” said Harsh Dubey, a political commentator based in Chhattisgarh.
