Congress MP Shashi Tharoor seeks ideas on Congress manifesto
Telegraph | 28 January 2024
The Congress manifesto will reflect the collective concerns of all INDIA partners while sticking to the core ideological stand of the party, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said in Calcutta on Saturday.
Tharoor also tried to address the current crisis within the INDIA partners, saying there was "no one-size-fits-all solution".
“Each party will be working on the manifesto and likewise the Congress will have its manifesto but there exists a broader perspective. It is quite conceivable that all the members of the INDIA alliance will incorporate shared elements such as addressing unemployment, inflation, farmers' concerns, women's rights, issues concerning the youth... Therefore, while each party has its unique manifesto, there will be commonalities on various critical issues among the alliance partners,” the MP from Thiruvananthapuram told reporters.
Tharoor was in the city to interact with the public as a member of the manifesto committee of the Congress.
“At the moment, we are actively engaging with the public to comprehend their concerns. Our focus is on formulating a draft report, which will be presented to the working committee. Following discussions with our alliance partners, the working committee will finalise the draft report before its official publication. While I cannot provide a specific date, we aim to have our manifesto ready by the time the election is announced,” he added.
At the interaction with the general public, Tharoor received a wide range of manifesto suggestions from individuals, including entrepreneurs, engineers, teachers and filmmakers among others.
A leader of the Congress' Bengal unit said these discussions would in a big way contribute to shaping the manifesto. An entrepreneur, who was present at the interaction, spoke on the need for job creation through self-employment initiatives.
"If a Congress government comes to rule India, it should increase investments in startups and MSMEs while the role of small and medium-scale industries should be amplified to boost the Indian economy," the entrepreneur said, adding that the support was critical to pave the path for innovation.
Another participant urged Tharoor to see to it that the manifesto addressed concerns over the existing tax structure, particularly regarding the "GST burden on the common people".
Echoing him, another member of the audience wanted Congress to work towards a simplified income tax system to remove the pressure on the people and ensure transparency in tax realisation.
Another member in the gathering spoke for the need to focus on the existing education system and address the shortage of teachers.
A professor, who chose to remain anonymous, expressed concerns about the current "saffronisation" of the education policy.
On Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s recent statement that her party would not have any alliance with the Congress in Bengal, Tharoor evaded a straight answer.
“Please understand that there won’t be a single, straightforward answer every time. Our collective focus is on the crucial necessity to bring about a change in the Union government. That remains the ultimate objective for all of us,” he said.
Tharoor’s comment comes in the backdrop of talks of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar ditching INDIA.
“It’s crucial to highlight that the alliance and seat-sharing discussions are taking place on a state-by-state basis. There is no one-size-fits-all solution,” Tharoor said.