Akhilesh Yadav, Rahul Gandhi make 10 common commitments to UP

Seeking to win over 300 of the 403 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party National President Akhilesh Yadav and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi in Lucknow on Saturday jointly released 10 commitments on which their alliance will work on coming to power.

The two leaders at a press conference released the commitments which include major promises made by both parties to the people of the state in their respective manifestos. These commitments include the promises made by Rahul Gandhi during his state-wide Kisan Yatra, such as loan waiver to farmers and reduction of power tariff.

"At least Samajwadi people practically give shape to what they say but some others only do 'mann ki baat' but 'kaam ki baat nahi karte'... they do not say in rallies and in districts what are the achievements of their government," Akhilesh said at the press conference. "(They say) two families have entered into an alliance... I will say that two youths have come together," he stressed in response to a jibe by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard.

"These are 10 steps to development worked out by the two parties on which Congress and SP will work on coming to power in future," Akhilesh added.

Rahul Gandhi also took a dig at the Prime Minister’s recent attacks on Congress in Parliament and at election rallies, saying the PM enjoyed Googling Congress leaders, reading their birth certificates and peeking into people’s bathrooms and could do this in his free time, but meanwhile was failing in his actual duties of providing employment and security to people and dues to farmers.

The joint SP-Congress commitments

• Distribution of free smartphones to youth and employment guarantee through skill development to 20 lakh youth
• Loan waiver to farmers, cheap power and proper remuneration for crops
• ₹1,000 monthly pension to one crore poor families and daily meal at ₹10 to urban poor
• 33% reservation to women in government jobs and 50% reservation in panchayat and local bodies elections
• Power, road and water to every village in five years
• Free cycles to all girl students of class IX to XII and meritorious students
• Free homes to over 10 lakh poor, Dalit and backward families
• Four-lane roads connecting all districts and metro service in six main cities of UttarPradesh
• Representation in ratio to population for minorities and backwards in all welfare schemes
• Police modernisation and phased expansion of Dial-100 scheme.

With inputs from NH National Bureau.