India’s ruling party has promised to create jobs, strengthen infrastructure and expand social programs if it wins a third term in marathon general elections that begin in less than a week.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released its pre-election manifesto on Sunday and also promised to introduce a new common civil code for the country, calling it a crucial step for gender equality in the world’s most populous country.
The general elections, which begin on April 19, will be held in seven stages until June 1. The counting of votes is scheduled for June 4, with results expected the same day.
After releasing the manifesto titled ‘Modi’s Guarantee’ at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, Modi sought to address key concerns of voters and said, “Our focus is on the dignity of life… on the quality of life, our focus is also on creating jobs through investments.” ”
The 73-year-old Modi is widely seen as the winner of a record-breaking third term because of his decade-long record – which includes economic growth, infrastructure projects, social welfare benefits – and aggressive Hindu nationalism.
He has campaigned extensively across the country, promising to grow India’s economy from about $3.7 trillion to $5 trillion by 2027. He also promises to put India on the path to becoming a developed country by 2047, when the country celebrates 100 years of independence from British colonial rulers.
However, polls suggest that unemployment, inflation and rural distress remain the issues of concern to voters. Last week, a Lokniti-CSDS poll found that unemployment was the top concern for 27 percent of 10,000 voters in 19 of India’s 28 states, followed by rising prices at 23 percent, despite the country’s strong economy.
Tackling these issues will be Modi’s biggest challenge.
“India’s youth have not even imagined how many opportunities will be available to them,” he said to cheering BJP members, including senior federal ministers, who sat in the audience on Sunday and wore stoles with the BJP’s symbol – the lotus .
“Uniform Civil Code”
But critics say another term for the BJP could undermine India’s status as a secular democracy, pointing to ongoing attacks by Hindu supremacist groups on minorities, particularly Muslims, as well as dwindling space for dissent and a free media.
The party’s manifesto sparked a polarizing debate by reiterating its position on the so-called Uniform Civil Code (UCC), which would standardize laws on personal matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance across all faiths and religious communities.
The party “believes that there can be no gender equality until Bharat adopts a uniform civil code that protects the rights of all women,” the manifesto said, using Modi’s preferred name for the country.
India’s 1.4 billion people are governed by a common criminal law, but rules governing personal matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance vary based on the customary traditions of different communities and faiths.
Women’s rights vary significantly depending on which law they fall under – Hindu sons and daughters theoretically enjoy equal inheritance rights, while Muslim daughters are only entitled to a fraction of a male heir’s inheritance.
Many Hindu right-wing politicians, jurists and reformists have called these custom-based codes regressive and advocated for a code that would apply equally to all Indians.
However, many communities, particularly Muslims, fear that a UCC would violate their religious laws and see it as an attack on their identity and against India’s secular constitution.
The BJP’s 76-page manifesto did not refer to Hinduism or Islam by name, but targeted Muslim women voters by saying it protected them from the “barbaric” practice of “instant divorce.”
Focus on well-being
Modi also promised to expand welfare programs, including enrolling all Indians over 70 in an existing free health insurance program and enforcing cooking gas connections in all homes, following on from a subsidized cooking gas cylinder program launched in 2016.
Other promises include raising the loan cap for small and micro non-agricultural borrowers, providing free housing to an additional 30 million poor and maintaining a free grain program for 800 million Indians by 2029.
The manifesto said the BJP government will continue to focus on a path of low inflation and fiscal prudence to achieve high economic growth.
“The ambition of the country’s 1.4 billion people is Modi’s mission,” Modi said. “I present this manifesto to the people to seek their blessings. Please bless us…to make us stronger…implement this manifesto and ensure a developed India.”