Gujarat polls: BJP releases manifesto, promises 20 lakh jobs, anti-radicalisation cell

From providing 20 lakh employment opportunities to youth in the next five years, free education and electric scooters and cycles to female students and formation of an anti-radicalisation cell, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made a number of promises in its party’s manifesto released on Saturday for Gujarat assembly elections.

In the manifesto released in Gandhinagar in the presence of party chief JP Nadda, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and state BJP chief CR Paatil, the party also promised to launch a ‘Gujarat Olympics Mission’ for hosting the Olympic Games in the state in 2036.

ભારતની પ્રથમ મ્યુઝિયમ સર્કિટ સાથે ફિલ્મ સિટી લેશે આકાર…#અગ્રેસર_ગુજરાતનો_સંકલ્પ pic.twitter.com/erJKAqc8x2

— BJP Gujarat (@BJP4Gujarat) November 26, 2022

Anti radicalisation cell

The creation of an “anti-radicalisation cell” to identify and “eliminate potential threats and sleeper cells of terrorist organisations and anti-India forces” was among the many promises made by BJP president Nadda.

Also read: After a lesson was taught in 2002, there’s been permanent peace in Gujarat: Amit Shah

“We will create an anti-radicalisation cell to identify and eliminate potential threats, and sleeper cells of the terrorist organisations and anti-India forces,” Nadda said.

Elections for the 182-member Gujarat assembly will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5.

Eye on madrasas

While saying it will set up a task force to “scrutinize assets and finances of Waqf Board and conduct surveys of madrasas regarding their curriculum”, the manifesto also promised rigorous imprisonment along with a financial penalty for forced conversions under the Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Act, 2021.

The party also promised to enact the Gujarat Recovery of Damages of Public and Private Properties Act, which is meant to recover damages done to public and private properties by anti-social elements during riots, violent protests and unrest, etc.

“We will also make a law pertaining to damages to public property. The law will be regarding recovery from anti-social elements who damage public property and attack private property. For the progress of Gujarat, we will make Gujarat’s economy equal to that of a 1 trillion economy by making the state a foreign direct investment destination,” Nadda said.

The party also said it will “ensure complete implementation of the Gujarat Uniform Civil Code committee’s recommendations”.

Also read: Will implement Uniform Civil Code, says Amit Shah

Freebies in the offing

Among the freebies announced, the BJP promised to provide free sanitary napkins to female students, free monthly supplements of nutrients to all poor and pregnant women from the economically weaker section (EWS), two free LPG cylinders every year and free bus travel for women senior citizens.

The party has also promised to start giving free electric scooters to meritorious college-going female students from financially weak households and free bicycles to all female students from classes 9-12.

The BJP said it would double the cap under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (Ayushman Bharat) from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh per family and “ensure free-of-cost medical treatment”. The party will also launch a ‘Mukhyamantri Free Diagnostic Scheme’ with a corpus of Rs 110 crore, to provide “free-of-cost diagnostic services in all government health institutions and empanelled laboratories for EWS households.”

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The BJP also promised to make Gujarat the top FDI destination by attracting Rs 5 lakh crore of overseas investments in the next five years.