Cong manifesto promises Rs 2 rice to all non-income tax payees

      Raipur, November 7, 2008: Main opposition Congress today released its election manifesto for Chhattisgarh and promised to give Rs 2 per kg rice to all ration card holders, a clean transparent, accountable and development oriented government.

     Although the manifesto is totally silent on the protracted problem of Naxalism, but it promised to provide 35 kg rice in the rate of Rs 2 per kg to all ration card holders, who are not income tax payees.

     Former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi and PCC Acting President Charan Das Mahant were absent when the manifesto was released, where as AICC Treasurer Motilal Vora, V C Shukla and PCC President Dhanendra Sahu were present in that function.

      Free of cost power supply to farmers, interest free soft loans to farmers and Rs 251 bonus per quintal of paddy to producers are also promised in that poll document.

      It also proposed to make legislation so that a farmer can only purchase land from a farmer.

      50 per cent reservation to women in government employment and underground railway services like Metro services would be started between Raipur, Bhilai and Durg cities, if Congress comes to power.

      Congress also promised to provide health and other basic facilities to the accredited journalists, according to the Election Manifesto.

      It will be a Guardian Government, which would maintain complete transparency, accountability and a development oriented government, it said.

     This month’s assembly election is not a fight between Congress and BJP. Rather a struggle between two opposite poles, values, ideologies and commitments, the manifesto said.

     Terming BJP also as a communal force and alleging that the saffron party was engaged in breaking the unity and integrity of the country, the Congress appealed to the people to reject that party in the election and bring Congress for establishing pride once again.