New Delhi, April 8
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today released the NDA manifesto that favours an early and amicable resolution of the Ayodhya issue and promises a legislation to ensure that important offices of the Indian State are reserved for those who are citizens by origin.
The 36-page coloured and glossy election manifesto, carrying a picture of the Prime Minister in a white dhoti-kurta with a blue jacket walking in the lawns, promises to take the country on an unprecedented growth track that would make it a “great power”.
On the temple issue, Mr Vajpayee said: “We continue to hold that the judiciary’s verdict in the matter should be accepted by all. At the same time, efforts should be intensified for dialogue and a negotiated settlement in an atmosphere of mutual trust and goodwill.”
The manifesto has been titled as an agenda for development, good governance and peace.
Asked how the Ram Mandir issue, which was basically part of the BJP’s agenda, had found a place in the NDA agenda, the Prime Minister said: “Ram Mandir is an important issue for the BJP, which cannot be sidelined. The partners of the NDA seek a resolution of the issue through negotiations and the BJP will abide by it.”
“The issue is of national concern and one cannot go ahead by ignoring it. But we have also suggested how it should be resolved...either through dialogue or a court verdict, which will be acceptable to all concerned,” Mr Vajpayee said.
He said the issue had been included in the agenda as “we do not want it to be prolonged and become an issue in the elections”.
The NDA agenda has made it clear that legislation will be introduced to ensure that important offices of the Indian State are occupied only by those who are India’s natural citizens by their origin.
Asked whether the legislation was targeted against Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Finance Minister Jaswant Singh, who replied on behalf of the Prime Minister, said the NDA had made the point very clear and it was not targeted against any individual.
The Prime Minister was asked about his comments in Lucknow that without Mr L. K. Advani’s nod he would not have occupied the top slot and his earlier remarks that under Mr Advani’s leadership the party wanted to move forward and that the party wanted the leadership to be handed over to the Deputy Prime Minister.
He was also asked whether the time had come for the party leadership to be handed over to Mr Advani and was there apprehension that the NDA would not accept Mr Advani’s leadership.
“Abhi mere
chhorhne ka waqt nahin hai (It is not the time for me to leave)”, he said in reply.
However, Mr Vajpayee parried questions on his age and the need for the leadership to be handed over to the younger generation.
On the
Women's Reservation Bill, the Prime Minister said the NDA was committed to give 33 per cent reservation for women but differences persisted among its partners on the percentage.
On the Bofors issue, he said the matter was before the court. When the issue of certain newspaper reports that appeared today was pointed out to him, the Prime Minister said: “The CBI will look into all those reports.”
The manifesto devotes almost six pages to agriculture and rural development and promises to make India a “food factory of the world”.
“The Prime Minister will launch the second Green Revolution on
August 15, 2004”, the manifesto says, and promises that farm income would be doubled by 2010.
Those who shared the dais with the Prime Minister were NDA convener George Fernandes, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, JD (U) leader Digvijay Singh, BJD leader Arjun Charan Sethi, Mr Parkash Singh Badal of the Shiromani Akali Dal and Mr P.C. Thomas of the Indian Federal Democratic Party.
BJP President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Finance Minister Jaswant Singh, Health Minister Sushma Swaraj and BJP General Secretary Pramod Mahajan represented the saffron party.
Toeing the BJP line on population control, the agenda backs non-coercive disincentives for a two-child norm and incentives for a girl child, besides two-child norm to be made a qualification, on a prospective basis, for contesting any election.
The manifesto promises to push up economic growth to 10 per cent, speed up the financial, pension and tax reforms, including incentives for states to switch over to value-added tax and revisit the FDI limit in the insurance sector.
Besides carrying out fiscal reforms and restructuring states’ debts, the NDA agenda for development says revenue deficit in every state will be wiped out by 2006 and political consensus will be evolved to reduce unproductive expenditure and enhance the states’ own resources.
The agenda promises a separate ministry for international trade, promote special economic zones and multi-commodities exchanges and remove internal trade barriers.
Mr Vajpayee said the NDA’s priority was to restore peace and normalcy in all disturbed areas of the region through dialogue with all militant groups that abjured violence. “But we will firmly deal with those who continue on the path of violence,” he said.
The manifesto also promises to unveil a Minorities Development Agenda within six months with focus on education and economic uplift.
The working of the Minorities Commission will also be re-oriented to address their developmental and welfare issues, the manifesto says.
The NDA government will continue to give encouragement to the promotion of the Urdu language and modernisation of madarsa education. A concerted effort will be made to increase minorities’ representation in administration and public bodies, it adds.
