New Delhi: The Congress claimed that former party chief Rahul Gandhi’s public appeal for feedback on the party’s Lok Sabha poll manifesto has received an overwhelming response on social media indicating the document is being widely discussed by the people. According to party insiders, a day after Rahul Gandhi posted a short video clip on the social media platform Instagram, urging people to send him feedback and suggestions on the manifesto, there were over 2.4 crore views on Instagram alone, over 25 crore views across various social media platforms, over one lakh suggestions, feedback and over 3,000 detailed emails to the former Congress chief.
“This shows the people are discussing the manifesto,” a senior AICC functionary said. Releasing the manifesto on April 5, Rahul had said the document represented the voice of the majority of the people, was a blueprint for the future of the country and offered a solution to the various problems created over the past 10 years of the Modi government, mainly unemployment and high prices of essential commodities.
In essence, the party’s 2024 manifesto was an extension and expansion of Rahul Gandhi’s Nyay concept, under which the party promised Rs 72,000 per year in cash directly into the accounts of the poor in the 2019 national elections. The Nyay scheme was drafted after consultations with Nobel laureates like Prof Abhijit Banerjee and ex-RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan and had the potential of being a game changer in the previous Lok Sabha polls.
However, the party was not able to explain the concept to the voters properly, which explained its low impact in the 2019 national elections. The party also banked, too, much on the controversial Rafale fighter jets deal, which did not click with the voters, said party insiders.
This time the party managers are not in a mood to repeat the past mistakes and have made elaborate plans to publicise the 2024 manifesto. As part of the plan, while all state units have been asked to conduct a door-to-door exercise to distribute guarantee cards to around eight crore households across the country, pressers in around 25 key cities have been planned on April 10 and 11 to further disseminate the information.
“The 5 Nyay concept evolved during Rahul Gandhi’s first nationwide yatra and was expanded during the second yatra dubbed as Nyay Yatra. If the five Nyay and 25 guarantees in the 2024 manifesto are implemented, it will bring about a big change in the country. As part of the door-to-door drive, the voters will be made to fill up forms, which will entitle them to avail social welfare benefits later on,” AICC secretary BM Sandeep Kumar told ETV Bharat.
Two subsequent rallies in Jaipur and Hyderabad a day after releasing the manifesto in Delhi and Rahul’s video appeal for feedback, too, were part of the plan to engage the public with the document, said party insiders, adding that the BJP was trying to discredit the Congress promises. Manifesto Committee member TS Singh Deo slammed the PM for saying the document reflected the thoughts of the Muslim League. “This is just an attempt to distract the voters from a very exhaustive and positive manifesto. The document is being received very well among the people and is being discussed by the experts. We have a track record of delivering on our promises. No wonder, the BJP is concerned about it,” Singh Deo told ETV Bharat.
Read more: Anurag Thakur Targets Congress Manifesto, Says It Is 'Anti-India'
