Congress to promise 'right to employment' to youth, stringent punishment for paper leak in manifesto

The party top leadership is likely to make an announcement on the 'right to employment' during a public rally at Badanawar in Madhya Pradesh, where both Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi will be present.

New Delhi: Congress on Tuesday evening finalised a draft manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections, which will now be scrutinised by the party's Working Committee soon to give final touches.

Sources said the manifesto will be based on the 'justice' plank highlighted by Rahul Gandhi during his ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. The Congress manifesto is likely to promise Caste Census as well as a legislation to guarantee minimum support price for various crops.

The party is likely to promise 'right to employment' in the manifesto though Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi are likely to announce it during the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra rally in Madhya Pradesh's Badnawar on Wednesday itself.

Manifesto Committee chairperson P Chidambaram said he along with members of the panel will present it to the party chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday.

"We have completed our draft manifesto. It's a draft. It will go to the Congress working committee. It is the Congress Working Committee which finalises the manifesto and then it becomes a Congress party document. At the moment, we have completed the work on the draft manifesto," he told reporters after the last meeting of the panel.

The panel had met for the past two days to clear the 50-page draft to enable the Congress Working Committee to soon have a look at it and make additions or deletion after taking feedback from members.

It may also promise scrapping of the controversial military recruitment scheme 'Agnipath' besides vowing to fill up vacancies in the central government. 

Sources said the party may once again promise a minimum income guarantee scheme like in 2019. 

The manifesto is also likely to promise an apprenticeship scheme for the youth to deal with the issue of unemployment.

Manifesto panel member Imran Pratapgarhi said they had taken views from all across the country and compiled it accordingly. "It combines everything, youth, women, unemployment, inflation etc," he said.

With election season fast approaching, the Congress Election Committee (CEC) headed by Kharge will meet on Thursday to finalise candidates for a clutch of states like Kerala and Karnataka. The BJP has so far announced 195 candidates.

Screening committees of several states have concluded their deliberations and have submitted their recommendations to the CEC, which is likely to finalise candidates also for states like Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and all the north-eastern states.

It is to be seen whether Congress would field bigwigs like Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel, T S Singhdeo, Sachin Pilot and Tamradhwaj Sahu in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.