LS POLLS

Trinamool Congress releases election manifesto; promises repeal of CAA

Kolkata: The TMC on Wednesday unveiled its Lok Sabha election manifesto, promising an array of social welfare initiatives, revocation of the CAA, and stopping the NRC exercise if the INDIA bloc, their national-level ally, comes to power. 

Christened 'Didir Shopoth' (Didi's pledges), the TMC promises to provide guaranteed employment, universal housing, free LPG cylinders, assured minimum support price for farmers, scholarships for SC, ST, and OBC students, among other initiatives, to uplift the living standards of the masses.

Releasing the manifesto at the party headquarters here, TMC's Rajya Sabha party leader Derek O'Brien said, "These are the promises we will fulfil as part of the INDIA bloc when it forms the next government."

The TMC walked out of the INDIA bloc in January over disagreements regarding seat-sharing with the Congress in Bengal. However, the Mamata Banerjee-led party has stated that it continues to be part of the INDIA bloc at the national level.

"We promise to control petrol and diesel prices through the formulation of a price stabilisation fund. We also promise to repeal the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), stop the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise, and will not implement the Uniform Civil Code," senior TMC leader Amit Mitra said.

West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata 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 opposition voices and target anyone who questions their anti-people policies," she wrote.

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. Criticising the BJP for toppling democratically elected governments, the party declared, "The practice of toppling governments will be decisively curtailed. The TMC will strengthen constitutional protections to ensure that democratically elected governments are not changed through devious means."

"We will amend the 10th Schedule of the Constitution to make the provisions of the anti-defection law more explicit and immediate in their application," he said. The manifesto also mentioned that the next round of India's decadal population census, which has not happened since 2011, will be conducted.

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

"It will oversee appointments of SC and HC judges based on merit and eligibility rather than reciprocity, in line with the Supreme Court judgment, and its evaluation criteria and deliberations will be made public," it said.

The manifesto also promised to institute a mandatory three-year 'cooling-off period' before retired judges can accept government appointments or political roles.

The TMC pledged to restore the autonomy of agencies such as CBI, ED, NIA, and Income Tax, as well as bodies like the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the University Grants Commission (UGC), by amending their respective foundational Acts to regulate the Union Government's role in their operational decisions.

Critiquing the BJP for undermining the communal fabric of the country, the manifesto promised to establish a National Integration Council (NIC) comprising the Centre and states and take cooperative measures to strengthen India's communal harmony and manage threats arising from disharmony.

On the financial front, the party promised 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 for education. In regards to national security, the party promised to do away with the Agnipath Scheme and restore "the Indian Armed Forces' traditional recruitment mechanisms."

"We will amend the current BSF Act to establish an independent oversight committee to promptly investigate allegations of misuse of force against innocent citizens during peacetime. We will revert BSF's jurisdiction to 15 km from the International border in West Bengal," it said.

The manifesto also promised to provide ration at the doorstep and 10 free cooking cylinders yearly for BPL families. Reaching out to MGNREGA workers, the party promised increased income for labourers and a guarantee of 100 days of work for job card holders with a daily wage of Rs 400.

"Increased allowance for higher education for students from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities. Implementation of the MS Swaminathan Commission recommendations, which legally guarantee farmers the MSP," he said.

Mitra said the cost of petrol, diesel, and LPG cylinders will be capped to ensure affordability, and a "Price Stabilization Fund" will be established to manage rate fluctuations.