Three days after the Prajakutami or the People’s Front released its election manifesto, the Bharatiya Janata Party which is contesting from all the 119 seats in Telangana unveiled its manifesto on Wednesday, promising distribution of one lakh cows during festivals and celebrations, if voted to power. It has also promised to set up Gau Kendra (cow centres) spanning five acres in all the mandals of the 31 districts.
The party has also promised to identify and deport Rohingyas and illegal Bangladeshi migrants. Besides, it stated that the party doesn’t recognise liquor as a resource for revenue and said that it would regulate the timings of liquor shops, apart from closing down the belt shops (cheap liquor). Presently, liquor shops in Telangana are open till 11pm and bars till midnight.
Among the several promises, the BJP has announced subsidy to senior citizens visiting religious places like Kailash Manasarovar, Kashi and Puri, under arts, language and culture, while there is no mention of such a subsidy for minorities. Under the welfare for minorities, it promised protection to Wakf board land, equipping the Madrasas with computers and providing technical education, providing self-employment and interest-free loans.
The party has also promised Rs 6,000 salary to the priests of temples with less revenue.
The BJP also promised to declare September 17 as Hyderabad Liberation Day – which the Telangana Rashtra Samithi hasn’t been observing, despite protests by the former. It also promised to include a curriculum on the atrocities of Razakar militia during the Nizam rule and the struggle for achieving statehood.
Akin to the promise made by TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao in its partial manifesto, the BJP has promised to set up a Reddy, Vaishya and Brahmin welfare corporation and allocate Rs 1,000 crore for these corporations annually. For the Backward Castes, the party has promised to allocate Rs 5,000 crore towards their corporation.
Like all the parties, the BJP has promised to waive crop loans up to Rs 2 lakh. It also has promised free borewell or well, or free pump set, besides giving Rs 5 lakh health insurance cover. For degree students it also has promised free laptops, and free cycles to girl students from class 7 to class 10.
Click here to follow TNM's coverage of the Telangana Assembly Elections 2018.