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Sonia releases 'humane and different' manifesto

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

Political stability. Secularism. Social harmony. Power to people. And economic development with human face.

These are the unique selling points of the Congress manifesto, released by party chief Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on Friday.

The book of promises, as Gandhi took pains to explain, is very different from its predecessors. Unlike when Congressmen debated and wrote out their promises themselves, the current one is the fruit of wide consultations with experts in various fields.

Gandhi said stability, preservation and promotion of secular values, strengthening the country's unity and integrity, social justice though empowerment of people, and acceleration of economic development would be focussed on.

Shivraj Patil, the Manifesto Committee chairman, said the political booklet was put together with the party chief's 'guidance' and that it incorporated 'old values as well as modern ones'.

Senior party leader and former Union finance minister Dr Manmohan Singh pointed out that the manifesto endeavoured to bring about 'a resurgent India with advanced technology' so that the fruits of development reached the poor and downtrodden. He said his party hoped to eradicate 'the curse of poverty' by 2015.

The manifesto underlines that in its 45 years of governance, the Congress, by demonstrating its commitment to parliamentary democracy and sensitive federalism, provided political stability to the nation.

"Neither numbers nor individuals alone can provide stability," the booklet notes. "What is more fundamental is stability of ideas, stability of policies, and stability of programmes. The Congress, because of its history, its basic character, its performance and, above all, its long, long years of administrative experience, understands stability best."

Referring to secularism, the manifesto says it is an article of faith for every Congress worker. Two of its greatest stalwarts had sacrificed their lives to protect India's secular heritage. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and other leaders like him struggled hard to see that India remained secular, for they knew that without secularism the country would not remain united and strong.

Secularism, however, the manifesto continues, does not mean being anti-religion or taking a negative or passive attitude to religion. In India, secularism can only mean equal respect to all religions and the clear separation of politics from religion.

"Religion is a private matter for individuals. Politics is all about activities in the public arena."

The book of promises adds that religion cannot be used as an instrument of mobilisation, to whip up passions and sentiments. The Congress vehemently rejects the use of religion for political ends. It rejects the mobilisation of people by stirring up religious passions. The Congress regards all citizens as equal. Yet, it recognises minorities of several kinds because of some disadvantages they suffer and the special help they may need.

"This is the imperative of history and tradition, this is the tradition of following the provisions of the Constitution," it notes.

It holds that secularism is a debate on the very nature of Indian philosophy and culture. "It is a debate between those who see Indian civilisation as what it is -- a most tolerant and liberal way of life -- and those who seek to distort it by their bigotry, narrow-mindedness and intolerance."

The manifesto is vociferous on social harmony: "The Congress is fully aware that increasingly the demand is for parity, not for charity, the desire is not for benevolence but participation. It has consistently believed that equal and full access to education, employment and health is the foundation of a truly egalitarian society enshrined in the Indian Constitution."

The scars of the centuries of discrimination cannot be overcome by education and health alone and there is need for affirmative action in the form of reservation. In the last 50 years, Congress governments have successfully implemented reservations for backward classes in several Congress-ruled states in the southern and western regions of the country, the manifesto claims.

Noting that India is an old civilisation but a young nation, it goes on to say that the nation comprises of diversity of plural cultures. "India is one and many at the same time but that oneness has to be preserved and strengthened."

It says the Congress is a national party that has always responded to regional sentiments. Regional parties are 'born and fade away, they are unable to sustain themselves because they are either single-individual or single-issue parties.'

Referring to the devolution of powers to the people, the booklet says the party believes in a strong centre, strong states and strong panchayats and nagarpalikas.

"Each of these builds on and draws sustenance from each other."

The Panchayati Raj, in the Congress view, "must lead to the establishment of vibrant institutions of participatory self-governance and not to passive agencies for the execution of government instructions emanating from the state and the national capital."

The manifesto reiterates the Congress' commitment to faster economic reforms with a human face. Higher growth is possible if "we invest more productively in physical and social infrastructure and only if the pattern of public expenditures at all levels reflects pressing socio-economic priorities."

On self-reliance, the booklet notes that it can be achieved by more investment in primary education, agriculture, irrigation, public health, water supply and sanitation.

And, says the booklet, there is no double-speak in the Congress approach to self-reliance "unlike the BJP's approach to swadeshi."

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