Kolkata: Shifting the campaign narrative away from polarising “mandir–masjid” debates, the CPI(M)-led Left Front has unveiled a jobs-and-industry-centric manifesto for the upcoming Assembly elections, promising large-scale employment, transparent recruitment and renewed industrialisation.
Released at Pramod Dasgupta Bhavan in the presence of Left Front chairman Biman Bose and CPI(M) state secretary Md Salim, the 15-page document outlines a welfare-heavy roadmap anchored in labour rights and public investment.
At the heart of the manifesto is an ambitious employment guarantee. The Front has promised one permanent job per family, alongside at least two interview opportunities for every registered unemployed youth. It proposes extending job guarantees to 100 days in urban areas and 200 days in rural Bengal, with a daily wage pegged at Rs 600. A major thrust has been placed on filling all vacancies in state government departments within five years through transparent, annual recruitment via bodies such as the Public Service Commission and School and College Service Commissions. The Left has also pledged to revive heavy and medium industries and establish new software and hardware parks to attract investment and generate private-sector jobs.
On welfare, the manifesto promises free electricity up to 100 units and subsidised tariffs up to 200 units. It also proposes enhanced Minimum Support Prices for 16 crops, expansion of self-help groups to 20 lakh for women’s empowerment, and strict action against illegal filling of water bodies.
Safety and social justice feature prominently. The proposed ‘Abhoya Bahini’ under the state police aims to strengthen women’s security, while the Front has promised justice in high-profile cases, including the RG Kar incident and the Kaliaganj blast victim.
Additionally, it promises a Rs 6,000 monthly pension for senior citizens and a dedicated health insurance scheme, along with targeted institutions for minorities and backward classes. Flagging rising state debt, Bose said fiscal correction through curbing non-essential expenditure would be key, contrasting current liabilities with those inherited in 2011.