BJP’s five promises to Uttar Pradesh

With the Bharatiya Janata Party sweeping Uttar Pradesh, what change can people expect? While a bureaucratic overhaul is a no-brainer, the party’s manifesto for Uttar Pradesh provides some inkling. Titled ‘Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra’ or ‘Pledge for People’s Welfare’, the manifesto, among various other promises, provides these five pointers.

1. The continuing promise of building Ram Mandir

In its 2014 manifesto, the BJP had reiterated its stand “to explore all possibilities within the framework of the Constitution” to facilitate construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.” In the latest UP manifesto in 2017 as well, the party speaks of “exploring all possible ways” to build the temple under the “constitutional ambit”. While the issue is still pending before the Supreme Court, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Dr Subramaniam Swamy has been publicly pledging the temple before the next general election. And several BJP leaders in UP have openly declared that if the BJP formed the Government in the state, the temple would be a priority. The Supreme Court verdict can be hastened and a favourable order milked as an achievement of the BJP. With an overwhelming mandate, one can expect BJP to move towards beginning the construction before the next general election.

2. ‘Anti-Romeo’ squads

BJP and its affiliates have been waging the “love jihad” campaign—opposing Muslim boys marrying Hindu girls. Electoral reverses in Bihar had prompted BJP to shelve the issue. But in Uttar Pradesh BJP national president Amit Shah promised the formation of “anti-Romeo” squads to check inter-faith affairs. In the first week of February, he actually said that every college in Uttar Pradesh would be provided with an “anti-Romeo” squad. “Our girls would be safeguarded. These anti-Romeo squads would allow girls to study without fear in college campuses,” he had said.

3. Roadmap to double farmers’ income by 2022

It promises to waive off all loans to small and marginal farmers and provide ‘zero percent’ interest farm loans. The manifesto also promises to double farmers’ income by 2022. This is a promise made by PM Modi at the national level as well on February 28, 2016; and subsequently announced in the Budget. The rider is in the fine print though. The party promises to “prepare a detailed roadmap” for doubling the farmers income by 2022. Would there only be a roadmap?

4. 90% jobs for local youth

As the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate in 2014, Modi had promised to create one crore jobs every year. However, the Economic Survey 2017 confirmed that only 1.35 lakh jobs were created in 2015. In the manifesto for UP, the party has tweaked the promise to declare that seven million ‘occupations’ would be created in the state and 90% of the jobs in industries set up in the state would be reserved for youths from UP.

5. Issue of ‘Triple Talaq’

One of the explanations doing the rounds for the BJP sweep of the state is that Muslim women voted for the saffron party in large numbers. In its manifesto, the party had promised to take the “opinion of all women” on the triple talaq issue before placing it before the Supreme Court. The larger point though is whether the UP election result would embolden the BJP to go in for a universal civil code.