The importance of an election manifesto often lies more in its political messaging than in the specific promises it makes to voters. There are two key political messages that emerge from the Congress party’s poll document for 2019.
One is the crafting of an alternative pro-poor narrative through big ticket announcements like a minimum income guarantee scheme (NYAY) and job creation by filling 20 lakh government vacancies as a start.
The other is the positioning of Rahul Gandhi as the polar opposite of Narendra Modi, with “delivery” as the bedrock of his politics. “Hum nibhayenge” or “Congress will deliver”, is inscribed on the cover of the manifesto. And the first sentence is a Rahul Gandhi quote, “I’ve never broken a promise that I’ve made.’’
“Hum Kar Ke Dikhayenge”
The Congress finally seems to have shed its post-Pulwama diffidence and is attempting to change the election discourse by going back to bread-and-butter issues. And Rahul Gandhi seems to have upped his game to present himself as a worthy challenger to Modi. The battle lines have been drawn.
It is clear that the Congress is hoping to frame the 2019 contest as a clash of ideas as well as personalities. Rahul summed it up succinctly during the course of his address after the release.
He made three key points. One was that when the manifesto was to be prepared, he said he instructed his team to only make promises that can be delivered. “Everything in a manifesto should be truthful, not like the lies we’ve been hearing,’’ he said.
Rahul Gandhi also went out on a limb to take the onus of delivery on himself, thereby drawing a clear distinction between him and Modi. “Hum kar ke dikhayenge (we will do it). No lies,’’ he said. It was an unusual display of willingness for accountability.
Thirdly, he hammered home the main differential. “The narrative is set,’’ Rahul Gandhi declared. “If Modi can put Rs 30,000 crores in Anil Ambani’s pocket, then why can’t the Congress give money to the poor?’’
Congress’ Compelling Counter-Force to BJP’s Muscular Nationalism
These are compelling images and could prove to be a strong counter to the BJP’s post-Pulwama muscular nationalism dominating the narrative currently. Some signs are already visible. Rahul’s press conference on NYAY last week does seem to have unsettled the BJP, with Modi quickly bringing the focus back to national security by announcing the testing of an anti-satellite missile (A-SAT) the very next day.
Ironically, BJP strategists soon realised that A-SAT has little resonance with the public at large. So, it was hurriedly peddled as a “chowkidar’’ in space. Now, we have ‘protection on land, in air and in space’ as well. A triple ‘surgical strike’, BJP supporters crowed.
But more revealing is the Hindutva element that has crept into the BJP’s campaign in the past few days with Rahul and the Congress being projected as “anti-Hindu’’. Even Modi has shown no compunction in injecting a communal flavour by accusing Rahul of being ‘scared’ of Hindus and choosing to fight from a minority-dominated constituency in Kerala like Wayanad.
Will BJP’s Manifesto Take a Leaf Out of Congress’?
The Congress manifesto could well put pressure on the BJP to go down the welfare route in its poll document. There are reports that saffron strategists are mulling announcements of more schemes for the poor and farmers, in a bid to outdo the Congress. But we’ll have to wait for the BJP’s manifesto to see whether they have succumbed to the demands of competitive populism.
It is clear from the promises contained in the document that the Congress intends to focus its campaign on target groups it feels it can swing: youth, women, farmers, Dalits, tribals and minorities. The Congress used to have a lot of traction with these groups till the BJP snatched most of them away in 2014.
The manifesto is tailored to address the concerns and aspirations of these groups. Women’s safety and security, for example, is a key element in the manifesto. Interestingly, Rahul revealed that this was an issue that cropped up even with women in Mumbai which is considered relatively safe compared to other cities in India. It came up in the feedback that the party sought from common citizens as inputs for the drafting of the manifesto.
Some Revolutionary Ideas In Cong’s Document
There is a strong focus on jobs in the Congress’ document, obviously keeping in mind young voters. Similarly, for farmers, the Congress has come up with unique suggestions like decriminalising loan defaults, preparing a separate kisan budget, and increasing MGNREGA work days from 100 to 150.
Unfortunately, like all manifestos tend to be, the Congress document is short on details. For instance, it is still not clear how they will raise resources for NYAY and government hiring without send fiscal deficit through the roof. Of course, such details rarely matter in election season. It’s the message that’s more important.
Despite its obvious shortcomings, however, the Congress manifesto is worth a read for its interesting mix of ideas, some of which are quite revolutionary. It has promised to tackle pollution as a national emergency. Given that India has 15 of the world’s most polluted cities, this is an issue that needs immediate attention.
It also talks of direct mayoral elections for the creation of smart cities. The best cities around the world, from the US to China, are governed by mayors who are directly elected, and therefore accountable to voters. But the proposal requires a major political and administrative revamp. It’s not clear how the Congress intends to go about this.
(The writer is a Delhi-based senior journalist. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)
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