Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Samajwadi Party promises caste-based census, MSP guarantee, scrapping Agnipath in poll manifesto

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday unveiled the party's manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections, promising a caste-based census by 2025, a legal guarantee for MSP, and scrapping of the Agnipath scheme.

The manifesto -- 'Janta Ka Maang Patra - Humara Adhikar' -- was released at the SP headquarters here in the presence of senior party leaders.

The 20-page document has called for a PDA government this time. PDA is an acronym for Pichde (backward classes), Dalit and Alpasankhyak (minorities) that was coined by Yadav. The SP is a constituent of the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc.

Addressing a press conference here, Yadav said a caste-wise census would be conducted after the formation of the INDIA bloc government at the Centre to fill all the vacant government posts of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes by 2025. He said the Agnipath military recruitment scheme would be scrapped and regular recruitment in the armed forces would be introduced.

The party also promised to restore the old pension scheme, ensure the participation of all sections of society in the private sector and completely eliminate poverty by 2029.

The manifesto includes giving a legal guarantee of minimum support price to the farmers, waiving off agricultural loans of farmers, providing free irrigation facilities, and formation of a Farmers' Commission. A promise has been made to provide a pension of Rs 5,000 per month to all landless small and marginal farmers.

Adopting a zero-tolerance policy towards crimes against women, along with a nationwide helpline, ensuring 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and Assemblies within two years of coming to power without waiting for delimitation, reserving 33 per cent government jobs for women were promised in the manifesto.

The SP said flour instead of wheat would be provided to the people as part of a free ration and mobile data worth Rs 500 would be given for free to every ration card-holding family.

The right to free education, an increase in the budget for education from three per cent to six per cent of the GDP, a legal guarantee on the right to quality health for all and elimination of the digital divide would be ensured, the SP said.

The other promises made in the manifesto are to stop privatisation and retrenchment of central and state public sector units and to set up smart village clusters across the country to be operated through the Smart Village Cluster Development Authority. Speaking to reporters, the SP chief said the upcoming election was to save democracy.

Not only the SP but people in the country feel that if the BJP retains power, it will change the country's Constitution given by Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, Yadav said, adding, "It is possible that they may even take away the right to vote."

Speaking about the electoral bonds, he said, "The BJP indulged in loot and the recovery was done in the name of donations. What explanation does the BJP have for this? Could anyone have imagined that Rs 1,000 crore would be extorted in the name of political donation? Isn't this corruption the cause of inflation? Isn't this a way to destroy the entire economy by making a few people happy?" "You (BJP) are taking so many donations but there is no platform where you do not say 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'. Have you not broken the dreams of the youth by implementing the Agnipath scheme? BJP does not have an answer for this, so to stop truth from reaching the people, pressure is being put on everyone be it YouTube, any channel or any newspaper," he said.

The SP is contesting 62 out of 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh as part of the alliance, while the Congress is contesting 17 seats. The Bhadohi Lok Sabha seat has been given to Trinamool Congress.