Not a Manifesto, 'Bahujan Bharosa' is a Roadmap for Telangana's Progress, says RS Praveen

Hyderabad- With the election season approaching, political parties are seen falling over each other to grab the votes of the people. They end up making tall and sometimes impragmatic promises through their manifestoes, a document that contains all the poll sops. The manifesto is often drafted to gain a competitive edge over each other.

The Bahujan Samaj Party, a national party, has, however, refrained from releasing manifestoes. The logic they offer behind this stand is that the party's constitution is their manifesto. The Telangana unit of the party, led by RS Praveen, has nevertheless tried to buck the trend and has released a manifesto ahead of the Assembly elections next month. The manifesto has been named 'Bahujan Bharosa' (Trust). The manifesto was released by Dr. R.S. Praveen Kumar, the Chief of the Telangana unit and also the Chief Ministerial candidate.

Speaking to The Mooknayak, Dr. R.S. Praveen took exception to the term 'manifesto' being used for the document. He said that this is a roadmap for the future of Telangana. "The constitution of BSP remains our manifesto, and following the Directive Principles of State Policy remains our sole purpose. However, when you operationalize the constitution, you have to lay out a roadmap for the people of the state. Manifestos are released by other parties who say they will give Rs 5,000, Rs 10,000, etc. We are saying that Behanji Kumari Mayawati has done a lot in the state of Uttar Pradesh, and we are going to contextualize it for the state of Telangana. So, we are going to ensure the best possible healthcare and ensure that every citizen in the state lives for 100 years. We will also send students for study abroad.' He further added that like Behanji Kumari Mayawati has honoured the Bahujan icons by changing the names of the districts in their names, we are also going to do that and we have named our programs in their names like Mahamaya, Kanshiram, Phule, along with some local icons. We will provide land to the landless. We are not going to make promises that are not workable," Praveen said.

The Highlights of the Manifesto/Roadmap

The document places utmost priority on women empowerment.

• 10 lakh new jobs for the youth; 50% allocation for women in employment

• 1 acre of land for the landless, with women as the title owner.

• 5G smartphones for single women farmers

• 33% reservation for women in the cabinet

  The 14-page document also promises free washing machines, smartphones, and driving lessons for working women and farmers.

Students and Youths Promised Better Education and Employment

R.S. Praveen Kumar, the Chief Ministerial candidate of the BSP, has served as a bureaucrat and, during his long stint, oversaw the transformation of schools under TSWREIS (Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society). The alumni of the residential schools have been named SWAEROES and have managed to make their mark in different fields.

The manifesto bears the imprint of RS Praveen Kumar and aims at empowering the students, along with promises of jobs for the youth. So, while the promised scheme of Phule Vidya Divena aims to support 100 students from each mandal for studying abroad and establishing one international school in every mandal; the 'Phule' Vidya Bharosa provides for a 50% concession for all students in public transport, including the metro.

'The manifesto acknowledges BSP founder Kanshiram with Kanshiram student leaders that earmark 30% reservation for youth in corporate elections in urban local bodies and provide for students as shadow ministers in government departments.

Through 'Poorna-Anand' Kreeda Spurthi, the party promises the promotion of sports and mental well-being. Bahujan Bharosa seeks to address the problem of unemployment by providing Blue Job Cards for 150 days at Rs. 350 per day, a spike from the existing Rs. 270 per day for 100 days. It addresses the concerns of farmers by assuring a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all crops and subsidizing the farmers affected by natural calamities.

RS Praveen Kumar, who released the manifesto, did not forget to garland the portrait of Pravalika, a student who died by suicide a few days back, ostensibly because of the postponement of the job recruitment exams. The ruling BRS government, led by K. Chandrashekhar Rao, has been under fire for the recruitment irregularities taking place under the government, with the heat reaching the family members of the Chief Minister."

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