New Delhi: Dressed in a white kurta-pyjama and sleeveless blue jacket, a colour associated with B.R. Ambedkar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday released the BJP’s "Modi ki guarantee" for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. The manifesto outlines Modi’s “guarantees” for "Viksit Bharat 2047". It focuses on sector-wise development and lacks populist measures.
Describing "Modi ki guarantee" as “equivalent to 24-carat gold”, the BJP's manifesto talks about issues like the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), inclusion of all citizens above 70 years and transgenders under the Ayushman Bharath health insurance scheme, One Nation, One Election, celebration of Ramayan Utsav with "great fervour" across the globe to commemorate the consecration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and free electricity to poor households under the Prime Minister Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, among others.
Among the notable omissions, the National Register of Citizens (NRC) issue, which was prominently mentioned in the BJP’s 2019 Lok Sabha elections manifesto, is conspicuously missing this time.
Releasing the manifesto on Ambedkar Jayanti and the arrival of the new year in some parts of the country, Modi pointed out the special focus of the document on GYAN — garib, youth, annadata and nari shakti, the four castes he has delineated..
“Today is an auspicious day. There is great enthusiasm for the new year in many states across the country. Also, today is the sixth day of Navratri, dedicated to goddess Katyayani, who holds the lotus (also the BJP’s poll symbol) in both hands. This coincidence is a great blessing. Adding to the glory, it’s the birth anniversary of Babasaheb Ambedkar today. On this special day, the BJP is presenting its Sankalp Patra for building a Viksit Bharat,” said Modi, who is known for fasting during all days of Navratri.
“The BJP's Sankalp Patra provides a comprehensive overview of the accomplishments of the NDA government and presents a vision for building Viksit Bharat by 2047… This Sankalp Patra reinforces the four strong pillars of a developed India -- youth power, women's empowerment, farmers and the underprivileged. Our focus lies on the dignity of life, quality of life, and employment generation through investment…"
"This Sankalp Patra prioritises both quantity and quality of opportunities, aiming to create jobs through infrastructure development while also promoting startups and global centres for high-value services,” said Modi, who, after releasing the BJP's manifesto, flew to Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh to address a public rally.
The Prime Minister addressed another rally in Karnataka’s Mysore later in the day, followed by a roadshow in Mangaluru in the evening.
Elaborating on the party’s manifesto, Union defence minister Rajnath Singh, head of the BJP’s manifesto committee, said the Sankalp Patra embodied the guarantees the Prime Minister had given to the people.
“Modi ki guarantee is the recurring theme of the manifesto… Modi ki guarantee is equivalent to 24-carat gold and has emerged as the gold standard of governance,” said Singh, who said that more than 15-lakh suggestions were received from across the country and were incorporated into the document after a 360-degree analysis.
BJP president J.P. Nadda, Union home minister Amit Shah, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Singh shared the dais with the Prime Minister at the event. Many other senior leaders, including several Union ministers, were present on the occasion.
With eyes on the south, the BJP’s manifesto also mentions setting up Thiruvalluvar Cultural Centres globally to showcase “Bharat’s rich culture and offer training in yoga, ayurveda, Bharatiya languages, classical music, etc” and promoting “Bharat’s rich democratic traditions going back millennia as the Mother of Democracy”.
Tamil Nadu is one of the states in the South where the BJP has been trying hard to gain a foothold. On numerous occasions, the PM has mentioned the Tamil cultural links with the rest of the nation in response to the "North vs South" narrative.
The promises in the BJP manifesto are categorised under 10 social groups, including the poor, middle class, women, youth, senior citizens, farmers, fishermen, labourers, traders and traditionally deprived sections like the SC and ST, and 14 issues, including secure India, prosperous India and ease of living in cities, among others.
The BJP’s poll document also mentioned India’s “continuing zero tolerance” towards terrorism, the theatrisation of military commands and ensuring robust infrastructure along borders, the implementation of CAA and the elimination of Left-wing extremism as part of Modi ki guarantee for Surakshit Bharat.
On the government’s zero tolerance against corruption, Modi said, “You have seen that in the last decade, the BJP government has taken massive action against corruption. Corruption takes away the rights of the poor and the middle class. You have seen how scams worth hundreds of crores have stopped. Those who looted the poor are now going to jail and this crackdown on corrupts will continue. This is Modi ki guarantee.”
For the Opposition parties, which have been attacking the Modi government for misusing probe agencies against their leaders, Modi had a message — “It is Modi ki guarantee that the crackdown against corruption will continue.”
Noting that India’s growth has been “fuelled by our focus on vikas and virasat,” the poll document mentioned how “people’s dream of five centuries of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya has become a reality.” The construction of Ram Mandir and the abrogation of Article 370 were among the core issues of the BJP.
Hinting at the ongoing strife in West Asia, Modi said, “Clouds of uncertainty are hovering over the world today. There is a situation of war... The world is tense. In such times of crisis, the security of Indians living in these (strife-torn) regions is our priority. When such tensions prevail across the world, it becomes all the more necessary to have a strong and stable government with a full majority — a government that makes the country economically prosperous and takes the country towards Viksit Bharat swiftly. The BJP is determined to do this. The BJP manifesto gives a guarantee for one such government,” said the PM.
After the release, Modi gave the first copies of the manifesto to a few beneficiaries of his government's schemes at the function organised at the BJP headquarters.
For the agriculture and allied sectors, the BJP has promised to strengthen the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme to provide sustained financial support to farmers and the PM Fasal Bima Yojana through more technological interventions to ensure speedy and more accurate assessment, faster payouts and quicker grievance resolution.
“The Sankalp Patra is more than just a collection of promises…it outlines the collective aspirations and goals of our nation, by our nation and for our nation,” said the PM in his letter to the nation. The letter, included in the manifesto, highlights the Modi government’s mantra of "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas" as the guiding principle.
“In 2014, we received your support to bring about a monumental transformation. In 2019, we received an even bigger mandate, ensured continued development and took big decisions. In the next five years, with your blessings, it is Modi’s guarantee that we will work 24 by 7 for 2047. Your aspiration is our mission. Your dreams are our responsibility. Let us create a nation that future generations will be proud of,” the letter read.
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The manifesto also mentioned increasing the minimum support price (MSP) for crops and the launch of the Krishi Infrastructure Mission for integrated planning and coordinated implementation of agri-infrastructure projects like storage facilities, irrigation, grading and sorting units, cold storage facilities and food processing.
The document also promises the launch of an indigenous "Bharat Krishi" satellite for farm-related activities like crop forecasting, pesticide application, irrigation, soil health and weather forecasting.
Promising to strengthen the sports ecosystem to make India a world leader in sports, the BJP sankalp patra says its government will facilitate the Indian Olympic Association's bid to host the Olympic Games in 2036. The party also promised to continue efforts to remove the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in a phased manner in the northeastern states and leverage the region as a strategic gateway for the “Act East” policy.
The document mentioned considering bullet trains in north, south and east India and expanding “new age” trains like Vande Bharat, Amrit Bharat and Namo Bharat.
