Congress Commits Statehood For PuducherryPuducherry, April 15: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge today reiterated the party’s commitment to grant full statehood to Puducherry once the INDIA government is formed at the centre.
He also accused the BJP of resorting to wanton corruption alleging that the BJP governments at the centre and in various states were overall involved in scams to the tune of Rs 8.5 lakh crores.
Addressing a public meeting here today, the Congress president criticised the BJP for ignoring the issue of the statehood of Puducherry and not mentioning it in its election manifesto.
He accused the BJP government at the centre of not only discriminating with states, but also weakening the federal structure of the country.
“We have witnessed how the ruling dispensation stoops to unethical tactics, such as poaching Congress MLAs, to bring down the democratically elected government of Puducherry”, he pointed out, while adding, “it is a pattern that repeats itself in various states across the country”. He disclosed that till now the BJP has bought 444 MLAs of the opposition across the country.
He said it was the Congress government at the centre that granted Puducherry its status as a Union Territory. However, he added, while this was a significant step forward, we understand that our work is far from over as Puducherry must be granted full statehood, a cause that the Congress party is deeply committed to”.
“It is telling that the issue of Puducherry’s statehood did not even find a place in the BJP’s manifesto released yesterday”, Kharge said while observing, “this blatant disregard for the aspirations of the people is a testament to the BJP’s lack of vision and concern for welfare”.
Referring to the problem of unemployment, he said, the issue continues to plague not just Puducherry but the entire nation. “It is heartbreaking to hear that over the past decade, one lakh students across India have been driven to take their own lives due to the lack of employment prospects”, he said.
He said, the Congress party has pledged to fill a staggering 30 lakh government job vacancies across the country. “This is not just a promise; it is a commitment to providing our youth with the opportunities they deserve to build a brighter future for themselves and their families”.
Besides, Kharge added, the Congress will give the youth, the Right to Apprenticeship which will ensure that their first job is guaranteed with a stipend of Rs one lakh per annum.
Kharge announced that the Congress government will reserve 50% of government jobs for women, ensuring that they have an equal chance to thrive and succeed in every field.
He said, the INDIA government will provide 1 lakh rupees annually to one woman from each poor family. He said this will be another historical step like the UPA government brought 27 crore people out of poverty
Accusing the BJP government of resorting to wanton corruption, he said, it had pocketed 56% of total electoral bond money, while on the other hand had seized 135 Cr from the Congress and froze party’s bank accounts.
Quoting the CAG and media estimates, he said, the BJP governments at the centre and in various states were involved in corruption to the tune of Rs 8.5 lakh crore.
Kharge also reiterated the party’s promise to provide legal guarantee for the MSP of crops based on the Swaminathan Commission recommendations.
Moreover, he added, recognising the historical injustices faced by marginalized communities, the Congress party pledges to allocate a special budget for SC/ST communities, equal to their share of the population.
Additionally, the Congress party promised to remove the arbitrary 50 percent cap on SC/ST/OBC reservations, ensuring that every individual has equal access to opportunities and representation.