Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday, 21 March, released the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) election manifesto for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly Elections at the party’s office in Kolkata.
Emphasising that ‘Sonar Bangla’ is at the heart of BJP’s manifesto, the Home Minister targeted the Trinamool government under Mamata, accusing the party of corruption in all sectors.
CCTV Cameras, Fencing to Stop Infiltration
The BJP manifesto also promises to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act in West Bengal. The Home Minister emphasised on strengthening border security using CCTV cameras and fencing, to stop cross-border infiltration.
“The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will be implemented in the first cabinet and refugees who have been staying here for 70 years will be given citizenship. Each refugee family will get Rs 10,000 per year for five years.”Amit Shah, Home Minister
The CAA was passed by the Modi government in December 2019, but is yet to be notified.
Free Education for Girls
The Home Minister, while announcing the manifesto, promised 33% reservation for women in government jobs in the state. The party also promised free education to girls from Kindergarten to post-graduation, free public transport for all women, apart from government jobs.
Assistance to Fishermen
Shah said that fishermen in West Bengal will be given annual assistance worth Rs 6,000 by the BJP, if elected to power.
Taking a dig at the Trinamool Congress, Shah further said that Mamata Banerjee has kept farmers from reaping the benefits of the PM Kisan scheme and if elected to power, the BJP government will first transfer Rs 18,000 each in the bank accounts of 75 lakh farmers in Bengal.
The party has also promised a ‘Sonar Bangla’ fund worth Rs 11,000 crore to promote art and literature, a Tagore Prize on the lines of the Nobel Prize, and a Rs 20,000-crore Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar Fund to help infrastructure development of schools and universities.
The eight-phase West Bengal elections will begin on Saturday, 27 March. The results will be announced, along with those of other states going to polls, on 2 May.
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