Rajasthan Assembly Elections: BJP accuses Congress of copying manifesto

The Congress in its election manifesto released Thursday made promises like loan waiver to farmers, free education to girls and women, unemployment allowance of up to Rs 3,500 to educated youth and pension to elderly farmers, among others.

Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal also slammed the Congress, saying the party was deceiving the people of Rajasthan with the announcements ahead of the elections./ AFP Image

Jaipur/Jodhpur: The BJP accused the Congress Thursday of copying its manifesto for the Rajasthan Assembly polls scheduled to be held on December 7. While talking to reporters here, Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said most of the public welfare issues in the Congress's manifesto were already raised by the BJP. The Congress in its election manifesto released Thursday made promises like loan waiver to farmers, free education to girls and women, unemployment allowance of up to Rs 3,500 to educated youth and pension to elderly farmers, among others. "The Congress has released its manifesto four days after the BJP did so. But surprisingly, no mind was applied by the Congress in drafting it, which contained most of the issues mentioned by the BJP in its manifesto," Shekhawat claimed. He said the Congress has misled the people by producing a "tampered version" of the BJP's announcements ahead of the elections. Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal also slammed the Congress, saying the party was deceiving the people of Rajasthan with the announcements ahead of the elections. "The Congress has talked about waiving-off loans of farmers. They had made a similar promise in Punjab and Karnataka before election, but did not waive-off loans worth a single penny," Meghwal said in a statement. While referring to the Right to Health announcement made by the Congress in its election manifesto, the Union Water Resources minister said the scheme was a replica of the BJP's Ayushman Bharat. Briefing about electioneering in the poll-bound state, he said the BJP will run a 'Kamal Diya' campaign across the state on Friday during which the party workers will contact 51 lakh beneficiaries of various government schemes.