Jharkhand: INDIA bloc poll manifesto promises increased reservation

The INDIA bloc on Tuesday, 5 November, unveiled its manifesto for the upcoming Jharkhand assembly elections, promising 10 lakh jobs for youth and health insurance coverage of up to Rs 15 lakh for the poor.

The '7 guarantees', the election manifesto of the INDIA bloc, includes social justice by enhancing reservations for STs to 28 per cent, SCs to 12 per cent and OBCs to 27 per cent from 26 per cent, 10 per cent and 14 per cent, respectively.

"The INDIA bloc will ensure 10 lakh jobs for youth and Rs 15 lakh health cover for the poor," Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said while jointly releasing the manifesto with Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and RJD's J.P. Yadav.

Kharge said, "Whenever we talk about any guarantees, Prime Minister Narendra Modi immediately criticises it... PM Modi came here and during his speech, he mentioned my name and said that there is no reliability of Congress's guarantees... Congress fulfills all its guarantees but Modi's guarantees never get fulfilled."

The INDIA bloc has promised to increase the free monthly ration for the poor to 7 kg from 5 kg and make available gas cylinders at Rs 450 in Jharkhand, as against BJP's promise of providing it at Rs 500 in addition to two free cylinders during festivals.

The other guarantees unveiled include a 'guarantee of domicile' policy based on 1932 Khatiyan (land record settlement), implementation of a separate Sarna religious code for tribal communities, and protection and conservation of regional languages.

The INDIA bloc also promised that paddy would be procured at a minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 3,200 per quintal from the existing Rs 2,400 per quintal, besides enhancing MSP for procurement of forest produce by 50 per cent.

The BJP, in its manifesto, has announced an MSP of Rs 3,100 for paddy.

Under the guarantee of education, degree colleges will be set up in all blocks and engineering, medical colleges and universities in district headquarters.

Also, industrial parks will be set up on 500 acres of land each in all district headquarters to create employment opportunities for the youth.

The manifesto also promises to enhance Maiyan Samman Yojana amount to Rs 2,500 per month, against the current financial assistance of Rs 1,000 to women per month.

The INDIA bloc also pledged to form a welfare ministry for Backward Classes to address issues pertaining to them.

Soren said, "After this election, the coming government will move forward with the guarantees that we have launched today."

The Jharkhand Reservation in Vacancies of Posts and Services (Amendment) Bill 2022 was passed in the state assembly in November 2022 and raised the quota for reservations in government jobs for STs, SCs, EBCs, OBCs and economically weaker sections (EWS) to 77 per cent from current 60 per cent.

However, the bill which was passed by a special session of the assembly, came with the caveat that 'the Act shall take effect after it is included in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution of India'.

While the new law was greeted by celebratory crowds, critics lashed out at it as a "political gimmick" by the Hemant Soren government.

In the proposed reservation, local people belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC) community will get a quota of 12 per cent, Scheduled Tribes 28 per cent, extremely backward classes (EBCs) 15 per cent, Other Backward Communities (OBCs) 12 per cent and EWS, barring those from the other reserved categories, 10 per cent.

At present, the STs enjoy 26 per cent reservation in Jharkhand, while SCs have 10 per cent quota and OBCs 14 per cent.

Increasing reservation was an electoral promise of all mainstream parties in 2019, including the ruling UPA allies JMM, Congress and RJD.

The Jharkhand governor had last year returned the bill to the government based on the legal opinion provided by the Attorney General of India.

As far as domicile policy is concerned, Jharkhand Definition of Local Persons and for Extending the Consequential, Social, Cultural, and other Benefits to Such Local Persons Bill, 2022 was passed in a special session of the Jharkhand assembly on November 11, 2022, by voice vote.

However, the governor had returned it to the government with some suggestions last year.

The Jharkhand Assembly on December 20, 2023 once again passed the bill that proposes to use 1932 land records to determine people's domicile status, without any amendment as sought by the governor.

Elections to the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly will be held on 13 and 20 November, and the counting of votes will take place on 23 November.