Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge released the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi’s (MVA) manifesto ‘Maharashtranama’ for the Maharashtra assembly elections scheduled to be held on November 20, in Mumbai on Sunday.
Kharge outlined the MVA’s vision for Maharashtra centred on five key areas, namely agriculture and rural development, industry and employment, urban growth, environmental protection, and public welfare, saying these areas are designed to drive progress and ensure sustainable development across the state.
He stated that a health insurance scheme of Rs 25 lakh, originally implemented by Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan, will also be implemented in Maharashtra, ensuring that every citizen gets access to quality healthcare services. Free medicines will also be provided under the scheme and this has been mentioned in the MVA manifesto.
It has included a promise to provide a monthly stipend of Rs 4,000 to young job seekers. This stipend is intended to support youth while they search for employment, offering a financial cushion as they pursue career opportunities.
The MVA manifesto has committed to conducting a caste census, which Congress believes is essential to address issues of social justice. Additionally, it vows to remove the 50 per cent cap on reservations in line with Tamil Nadu’s policy, ensuring more equitable access to opportunities for marginalized communities.
“We have decided to conduct a caste census and we will remove the 50% ceiling on reservation, in line with Tamil Nadu,” Kharge asserted while unveiling the manifesto.
The Congress-backed MVA manifesto has a mention of five “guarantees”. Kharge said this would help uplift families who will get relief of around Rs 3.5 lakh in a year.
Under the “Mahalakshmi Scheme”, the MVA plans to provide each family in Maharashtra with an annual aid of around Rs 3 lakh. This initiative is designed to provide economic support to households, particularly low-income groups.
The manifesto promises to empower women financially through the Mahalakshmi Yojana. This will give all women in the state of Maharashtra Rs 3,000 per month through their bank accounts, in order to improve their financial independence and well-being. This MVA promise is believed to counter the BJP-backed Mahayuti’s ‘Ladki Bahin Scheme’.
The MVA manifesto has promised to introduce a free bus service across Maharashtra exclusively for women, making transportation more accessible and affordable.
It has promised Rs 50,000 to farmers who repay their loans on time. This initiative aims to support farmers and encourage timely repayment of agricultural loans.
Speaking at the release of the manifesto, Kharge criticised the BJP and its Mahayuti alliance saying, “Mayahuti’s double-engine government has derailed and the MVA will restore the pride and dignity of Maharashtra”.
The Congress president also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP for equating the Constitution of India with “urban Naxalism” and the “red book”. He said the PM gave a similar red coloured copy of the Constitution to then President Ram Nath Kovind in 2017. “He (PM Narendra Modi) said this red book is an urban Naxalite book and is Marxist literature. He had gifted the same book to the then President Ram Nath Kovind in 2017. He even said this book contains blank pages,” he added.
Kharge attacked PM Modi for his “Ek Hain Toh Safe Hain” remark. “What does he mean by this? Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed their lives to keep the country united. CM Yogi Adityanath says ‘Batenge Toh Katenge’. PM Modi says ‘Ek Hain Toh Safe Hain’. I don’t know which slogan will work. You (the BJP) are among the people who killed the one (Mahatma Gandhi) who got us independence,” he said.