Congress Promises 7 Guarantees to Haryana Voters

New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday announced seven guarantees, including the promises of a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) and a caste survey, if voted to power in Haryana in the impending Assembly elections.The “guarantees” were launched in the presence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and AICC senior observers for the Haryana polls Ashok Gehlot, Ajay Maken and Partap Singh Bajwa.Under its social security plan, the Congress guaranteed a monthly pension of `6,000 for the elderly, disabled and widows. The party vowed to reinstate the old pension scheme, a move aimed at appealing to government employees.For women’s empowerment, the Congress pledged to provide gas cylinders at `500 each and a monthly payment of `2,000 to women aged 18 to 60. The party promised to “secure the future of the youth”, saying that it is committed to a “drug-free Haryana”. It also promised two-lakh recruitments.The Congress also promised to provide 300 units of free electricity to households and free medical treatment of up to `25 lakhs.For the agricultural sector, the party pledged to introduce a legal guarantee for MSP, a longstanding demand of farmers across the country. The Congress also assured voters it will conduct a caste survey and raise the income limit for the creamy layer from `6 lakhs to `10 lakhs.Addressing the media, Mr Kharge said, “We will implement these guarantees and that is why we have named it ‘Saat Vaade, Pakke Irade’.”“Other than these seven guarantees, our 53-page manifesto will be explained in detail later in Chandigarh, but these promises will surely be fulfilled by us,” he added.A comprehensive manifesto will also be released by the party in Chandigarh soon.Voting for the 90-member Haryana Assembly will take place on October 5. The counting of votes will be done on October 8.