Congress manifesto full of tall promises, says Chouhan

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday dismissed Congress manifesto for the 25 November assembly election as a ‘dying declaration’.

The main Opposition party in the state had made all sorts of promises in its manifesto as it knows it would never be asked to implement them, he told reporters.

The Congress manifesto is like a ‘dying declaration’ as the party is sure to get a sound drubbing in the hustings, the BJP stalwart said.

‘Congress is sure of its defeat in the assembly election. There was no way in which it could win it,’ he said.

In its manifesto released on 12 November, Congress, which is out of power in Madhya Pradesh since 2003, announced a slew of populist measures, including sops to farmers, students, unemployed youths, minorities and the common man.

For the poor, Congress promised to provide 35 kg ration per family per month free of cost. It will also provide free single-point power connection to the BPL population. The party also promised to waive farm loan up to Rs  51,000 taken from Cooperative and Land Development Banks.

To woo the middle class, Congress said if voted to power, it will provide three more subsidised cylinders in MP (besides the existing nine) and promised to reduce VAT on petrol, diesel and LPG to bring down fuel prices.