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NDA to free nation from hunger, graft

The National Democratic Alliance of the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies today promised to free the nation from three curses -- bhookh (hunger), bhay (fear) and bhrashtachar (corruption) -- if voted to power.

In its 10-page joint manifesto for the Lok Sabha election released by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in New Delhi, the alliance committed itself to providing a stable, honest, transparent and efficient government capable of accomplishing all-round development.

For this, the government shall introduce time-bound programmes of administrative reforms including those for the police and other civil services, said the joint manifesto, also called the national agenda for governance.

The National Agenda for Governance pledged to ensure full combat effectiveness of the armed forces to strengthen national security, and to harness technology for rapid and equitable growth for economic modernisation. Besides, in order to ensure probity in high places, it would provide for transparency in decision-making and corruption-free governance. The manifesto emphasised the need for national reconstruction, dynamic diplomacy, federal harmony, secularism and social justice. Kargil being the main election plank of the NDA, the agenda reiterated the government's commitment to the welfare of the armed forces, and of the dependence of all those who laid down their lives in the Kargil conflict. Taking a dig at the previous government for ignoring defence preparedness, the manifesto said it would be the sacred duty of the NDA to correct this deficiency and make available adequate resources for strengthening the armed forces.

The manifesto, in its preamble, lambasted the Congress, the left parties and their old and new found allies for toppling the Vajpayee government without any alternative to offer. It charged the Congress, particularly, with being irresponsible. The NDA came into existence following the action of the Congress and its so-called friendly parties to set the Indian polity on a new course when the people were losing faith and becoming cynical of the country's democratic system, it said. The agenda has been divided in five parts -- introduction, preamble, our mission, agenda for governance and conclusion.

While declaring that its mission would be to build a bond of trust between the government and people, the agenda pledged that the government would share the hopes and anxieties of the people and work with them as partners irrespective of class, caste and religion. It said it would ensure the rights of the minorities as enshrined in the Constitution. The NDA is the political arm of none other than the Indian people as a whole. 'Fairness and justice will be rendered to one and all and we assure you that there will not be any discrimination'. Urging the minorities to extend their fullest support to the NDA in the coming elections, it appealed to them to throw away their old prejudices, and put an end to divisiveness let us have a moratorium on contentious issues and bind ourselves with bonds of trust and friendship.

In its commitment to good governance, the national agenda said the economic reform process would continue but it would be given a Swadeshi touch to ensure that the national economy grew on the principle that India shall be built by Indians. ''It would bring GDP to seven to eight per cent and control deficits, both fiscal and revenue, and would study the enacting of a fiscal responsibility act''.

The alliance would analyse the effects of globalisation, and calibrate its process by devising a timetable to suit national conditions and requirements so as not to undermine but strengthen the national economy, the indigenous industrial base, and the financial and service sectors. It committed itself to earmarking 60 per cent of the plan funds for investment in agriculture, rural development, and irrigation and by diverse incentives, including tax shelters, achieve a quantum leap in agricultural production so that agriculture, horticulture, forestry, food processing, and fisheries become the vehicles of growth resulting in an enhancement of the purchasing power of the people. Besides, effective crop insurance schemes will be introduced, it declared.

The national agenda promises to implement a national water policy and examine the viability of linking the Ganga-Cauvery rivers in a time-bound manner. It would also undertake Sethu Samudhram canal project with an object to increasing capital investment in the public sector. The manifesto promises to increase the national savings to 30 per cent of the GDP in the next five years from the current level of 24 per cent, by providing appropriate incentives and motivation. A major thrust, it said, would be given to infrastructure development, particularly energy and power, by recommending public expenditure in the sector. It would review all laws and regulations relating to industry so as to free it from bureaucratic control, institute a system of voluntary compliance with laws, including tax laws, ensure speedy redressal of industrial sickness, arrange for meaningful interaction between industry and government and revive the capital market as a viable and transparent mechanism for raising capital for industrial sector. Besides, comprehensive reforms of the public sector units would be expedited, which would include restructuring, rehabilitation and disinvestment. On the issue of India's participation in the World Trade Organisation, the agenda made it clear that India would assert more robustly at the review conference of the WTO in November.

The manifesto said laws relating to equal work for men and women would be strictly implemented. The main thrust of the new government would be to eradicate unemployment by creating jobs through investment and institutional efforts in all sectors of the economy. Committing itself to creating a hunger-free India in five years, the agenda said the public distribution system would be improved so as to serve the poorest of the poor in rural and urban areas. Price stability would be ensured by appropriate means and necessary legislation. It also committed itself to providing education to all, safe potable water in all villages in five years, and shelter for everyone by evolving a national housing and habitat policy in consultation with state governments. The manifesto reiterated to bring in legislation for providing 33 per cent reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, and introduce the Lok Pal bill with adequate powers to deal with corruption charges against anyone, including the prime minister, grant full statehood to Delhi and create Uttaranchal, Vananchal and Chhattisgarh as new states.

Indirectly referring to the frequent mid-term election causing heavy burden on the exchequer, the alliance said it would appoint a commission to review the Constitution to make suitable recommendations specifically in the light of experiences and developments since 1996. To harmonise Centre-state relations, it said suitable steps would be taken on the basis of the recommendations of the Sarkaria Commission. Decentralisation would be effected right up to the grassroot level by activating and involving panchayat and local bodies.

Besides, a committee would be set up to study the feasibility of treating as official languages all the 19 languages included in Schedule 8 of the Constitution. It would also examine problems of border states and take measures for ensuring a fixed five-year term for all elected bodies, including legislatures. The system of no-confidence motion would be examined to be replaced by the German system of constructive vote of non-confidence.

Similarly, it would introduce necessary electoral reforms on the basis of the recommendations of the Goswami Committee, the Indrajit Gupta committee and the Law Commission report to deal with he malaise of defections, corruption and criminalisation of politics, and to prevent electoral malpractices. On the issue of national security, it emphasised strengthening of state of preparedness, moral and combat effectiveness of the armed forces. The recently established National Security Council, it said, would advise the government in this regard and also in the establishment of a credible nuclear deterrent. Effective steps would be taken to create a riot-free and terrorism free India.

UNI

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