Withdrawal of CAA-NRC Tops TMC Manifesto

Kolkata: West Bengal's ruling Trinamul Congress released "Didir Shopoth" (Didi’s pledges) in its manifesto on Wednesday for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. Amit Mitra, main advisor to TMC supremo and chief minister Mamata Banerjee, and party Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien made the promises public in English, Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, Nepali and Ol Chiki script at the party headquarters in Kolkata.

One of the TMC's poll promises is the removal of the citizenship laws. It states under the "Swaccho Ayin, Swadhin Bharat" (Transparent Law, Independent India) title, “The botched up Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will be abolished and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) will be discontinued. The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will not be implemented in the country.”

Ms Banerjee has vowed not to implement the CAA in West Bengal. In an appeal on the manifesto, she criticised the BJP government for attempting to undermine the Federal structure of the country.

"In the last 10 years, they have relentlessly undermined the tenets of federalism, pluralism, liberty, and democracy enshrined in the Constitution. Misusing Central agencies, they have tried to suppress the Opposition voices and target anyone who questions their anti-people policies," she wrote.

The TMC also promises many welfare schemes if the INDIA bloc wins the ensuing Lok Sabha polls, including 100 days of guaranteed work with a hiked daily wage of `400, rations at the doorstep and 10 free cooking cylinders for the below-poverty-line families.

The party also pledges that the number of higher education scholarships for OBCs, SC and STs will be increased to uplift youth from marginalised communities. The existing old age pension for elderly people over 60 years old will be hiked to `1,000 per month (`12,000 annually).”

For the farmers, the Trinamul Congress, as per the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission, promises that the minimum support price (MSP) will be legally guaranteed to India’s farmers and set at least 50 per cent higher than the average cost of production of all crops.

The party's manifesto also promises to bring a constitutional amendment to Article 155 to ensure that "governors are appointed in consultation with state legislatures."

"The Federal rights of all states will be firmly preserved... We will not accept the 'One Nation, One Election' proposal," the party stated.

The manifesto also mentions that the next round of India's decadal population census, which has not happened since 2011, will be conducted.

The manifesto promises to ensure that the country's judiciary remains free from political pressures or inducements, advocating instead for a neutral, impartial, transparent commission.

The TMC pledges to restore the autonomy of agencies such as the CBI, ED, NIA, and income-tax department, as well as bodies like the Reserve Bank of India and the University Grants Commission, by amending their respective foundational Acts to regulate the Union government's role in their operational decisions.

On the financial front, the party promises a comprehensive reform of the GST system.

"The current GST regime, which has eroded the fiscal autonomy of our states and led to heavy losses, will be reformed into a more equitable instrument of revenue distribution," it said.

The party also promised to delink the Railway Budget from the Union Budget and allocate 5 per cent of the country's overall GDP to education.

"We promise to control petrol and diesel prices through the formulation of a price stabilisation fund…” Mr Mitra said.  

In regards to national security, the party promises to do away with the Agnipath Scheme and restore "the Indian Armed Forces' traditional recruitment mechanisms."

Releasing the manifesto, Mr O’Brien said, “These are the promises that we will fulfil as part of the INDIA bloc when it forms the next government."