With all political parties displaying an almost cavalier attitude
towards their manifestos, what value does this piece of paper hold in
today's governance? Rakesh kumar checks out
Apart from Narenda Modi, the other talking point in the run-up to the ongoing election was the manifestos of political parties. While some parties took ages to write it down some opted for just a slight change in their previous manifestos. But in either case, the crux of the story was that all the political parties ~ Congress, BJP, AAP or Left ~ were casual in terms of releasing their manifesto. Some 1.25 crore Indians are all set to exercise their franchise in the world's biggest election exercise from 7-12 May and votes will be counted on 16 May. But in midst of all this, the question bothering everybody again and again is what made these political parties take their manifestos so lightly. If one takes a look back in history, one will find that a manifesto was a communication tool. The party manifesto is prepared in order to both increase the percentage of votes and explain the programmes and aims of the party to the electorate. India's first prime minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru released his manifesto just as a Five-Year-Plan ~ it used to top his priority list. Although, in recent decades the status of electoral manifesto has diminished somewhat due to a significant tendency for winning parties to, following the election, either ignore, indefinitely delay, or even outright reject manifesto policies which were used to rouse public popularity.
What is a manifesto?
For any political party its manifesto is generally acc
epted as the most
significant and effective communication tool as it contains the plans,
strategies and tactics for the political thoughts and beliefs on
governing the country. The most distinctive point between the different
political party manifestos is reference to different political thoughts
with the right to choose the most effective one. Moreover, it is obvious
that the political party has to develop a specific manifesto, which is
able to convey all the important thoughts, aims and political
principles, while being comprehensive and dynamic to keep up with the
changing conditions that can affect the country's domestic politics and
international relations as well. Election manifestos play an important
role in all the countries vying to form a government at the state or at
the national level. These manifestos act as the guideline as well as the
mirror for interpreting the process by which a political party will
function for the welfare of the public.
Why this apathy?
The lack of seriousness towards the election manifesto could be traced from the year 1996 and courtesy goes to none other than the coalition government then. The nature of governments that have been formed at the centre since 1996 was one of coalition, which was with support and participation of at least half a dozen political parties. In this type of government, the role and importance of individual party manifestos get diluted, if not completely devalued. In some coalition governments of the past, the pre-poll manifestos of individual parties gave way to a post-poll common minimum programme.
And in some coalition governments, even a common minimum programme was given a go-by and governance followed neither the manifestos of the coalition partners nor any mutually agreed action plan. The next government after May 2014 is also likely to be led by a coalition of parties, political pundits predict. That perhaps explains why both political parties and even the voters have turned indifferent towards the promises made in manifestos.
Promises fulfilled?
Election manifestos play an important role as they act as a guideline as well as mirror to interpret the process by which a political party will function for the welfare of the public. Here the question comes as to how many of these promises get fulfilled. Most of us would agree they are not. So what is the purpose of the releasing a manifesto? Could this be a reason that the manifesto is now reduced to a promotional pamphlet? Is this also why voters also seem disinterested towards political manifestos? If politicians say manifestos are made for the welfare for the people, why are they not made by people's choice. Therefore, with coming of elections, various NGOs, people and organisations are coming up with their own manifesto dedicated to different segments of society. For instance, some are coming up with manifestos for women, some for the handicapped, some for transgender people and for children.
Women's manifesto
While deciding the manifesto many of our leaders forget about those who contribute a lot to the country. Yes, women, who constitute around 49 per cent of population or voters of the country, have negligible presence among the leaders. For them Tata Global Beverages and the Tata group released a 10-point "Voice of 49%" women's manifesto, aggregating issues raised by more than a million women from across India. The key issues that have emerged in the manifesto are broadly around the themes of violence, safety, health and education. "In our research we found that for most women, decisions on who to vote for are influenced by male members of their families. They are not able to contribute their voice in an election. They go with the flow. But we urge women to go and cast an informed vote for a candidate, who is most likely to address their issues ahead of General Elections 2014," said Vikram Grover, vice-president, marketing, India and South Asia, Tata Global Beverages.
Some of the points raised are: politicians must lead by example by displaying zero tolerance for perpetrators of domestic abuse and dowry in political parties; address the under representation of women in Parliament through increased representation in party ticket distribution as well as cabinet; make gender sensitisation for boys a compulsory part of the school curriculum from Class V to XII in order to counter eve-teasing; increase percentage of women police personnel from current five per cent to at least 33 per cent; build a combined "front line army" of government workers, NGOs, local health and sanitation workers with accredited social health activists; build 1crore women toilets within a year with privacy and 24/7 access to water; provide mandatory crèches and women-friendly maternity policies that include long-term leave ~ both rural and urban; incentivise schooling for girls by providing financial saving schemes and free transportation; install GPS on all buses, double the number of street lights and provide round the clock public transportation for women; and provide complete medical, legal and psychological support to victims of domestic violence by instituting special family counseling centres in government buildings and policy centres
Manifesto for youth
Apart from women, the youth has been always been another focal point for politicians. And why not, as they constitute more than 70 per cent of the population? However, there are hardly any political parties, which have given youth more space. Though they have been ignored by the politicians, this time they do not seem to be keep quiet. And to help them, many NGOs have also joined them. In one such initiative, UnManifesto 10+1:Tipping point of our Democracy, 40 organisations reached out to 14.5 lakh youth, across the spectrum of identities, in 20 Indian states and two union territories. Of the 80,000 promises collected and collated through on-ground facilitation, events and online portals, top 10+1 promises were presented to different political parties to include in their manifestos. The group had representations from schools and colleges, urban-rural youth groups, people from marginalised communities, including the LGBT community. Their demands are in all spheres ~ a better education system with stronger emphasis on implementation of Right to Education (RTE); amending of AFSPA in northeastern states; demanding safe public spaces for women with greater emphasis on fighting violence against women; voicing the need for good-quality 24 hour hospitals in remote rural areas; the need for decriminalisation of article 377; the requirement of passing of the 33 per cent reservation for youth and women in Parliament; the urgency of passing of Lokpal Bill to curb corruption; the dire need of providing unemployment wages for the people above the age of 21; and not just demanding legalisation of sex work but also providing sex workers with health benefits and pensions.
Manifesto for children
"Just because we do not have the right to vote and choose our leaders does not mean that our rights should be denied by the political parties. They should understand the apathy that we undergo each day and mention our needs in their menifestos," said 18-year-old Murugan, summing up the story of thousands of teenagers who are not only concerned about t
heir
future but also their political leaders. Organised by the National
Assembly of Children with Vulnerabilities, hosted by World Vision India
in the Capital from 16 states across the country, the children gathered
to raise their voices and put forward their demands to national leaders
and urge political parties to include their voices in their election
manifestos. They have raised issues like drug de-addiction facilities in
every district, no rag-picking by kids, stopping of child abuse and
exploitation.
"It is unfortunate to reflect on the fact that 40 per cent of India's population is below the age of 18 years and only 3.9 per cent of the Central Budget is allocated for child-related issues. It is because of such negligence that the vulnerable children feel insecure in our society and this has prompted them to come forward with their demands.
Many of the disabled children from various parts of the country shared their bitter experience in the pursuit of education and discussed the need for a handicapped-friendly infrastructure in schools and
colleges.
Manifesto for all
A group of civil society organizations, led by Wada Na Todo Abhiyaan, released the "People's Manifesto" in an effort to give voice to the demands, concerns and aspirations of the people across the country before the upcoming elections. Their demands are to ensure the highest standards of healthcare accessible to and affordable by all; prevent health conditions from worsening by ensuring universal access to safe drinking water and sanitation facility; corporate funding for education, amounting to a minimum of six per cent of GDP; ensure nutritious food for all through effective implementation of National Food Security Act; legislate National Housing Policy and National rehabilitation Policy; strengthen implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA (MGNREGA) Act; safeguard land rights of the adivasis by strongimplementation the Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006; pass the Women's Reservation Bill with immediate effect; protect the right of every child to survive, be healthy and safe; bring a legislation on SCP and TCP to give legal sanction to the plan allocation to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes; prioritise and strengthen human rights and access to justice; and commit to accountable governance.
Party manifestoes
Congress first
In comparison to other parties, the Congress seemed to be quicker to launch their manifesto, in which one could find that they have tried to revive the economic growth, which had decelerated in the last few years of the Congress-led government. The party's manifesto is categorical about a host of progressive measures such as those on flexible labour, expeditious introduction of GST and the simplified direct taxes code, both of which should enhance the economy's efficiency. Moreover, they have also promised a new right to health policies to lift 800 million people into the middle class and GDP growth rate of more than 8 per cent in the next three years. On the question of reservation of jobs in the private sector, the Congress manifesto has adopted a tentative approach. It has talked about its commitment to creating national consensus on affirmative action for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the private sector.
Check the BJP
BJP, which claims to be the strongest contender to form or lead the next government at the Centre, and was the first to declare its prime ministerial candidate, came up with their manifesto very late. By the time, they released the manifesto, the country was already casting their votes for six Lok Sabha seats. The BJP's manifesto alludes to inflation, employment, entrepreneurship, bringing back black money lying in foreign accounts and tackling policy paralysis. On corruption, the BJP has said it will focus on public awareness, e-governance and rationalisation of the tax regime. The party also promised to bring the GST tax regime in the country and while re-affirming its stand on no FDI in multi-brand retail, said it was open to FDI in all other sectors to raise employment in the nation. How many of them get fulfilled only time will tell.
Just a year-old party, the AAP has projected itself as one of the biggest anti-corruption parties. However the party, which has termed itself as torchbearer of change, also falls in the league of those releasing their manifesto very late ~ less than a week before the country was ready to choose its next government. In its manifesto the AAP has emphasised on Jan Lokpal Bill, decentralisation of political and economic power, revival of rural economy and good governance as the priority areas. The party has promised a slew of initiatives, including installation of CCTV cameras in court rooms and police stations, and bringing down the age to contest elections from 25 to 21.
AAP's manifesto
Apart from Narenda Modi, the other talking point in the run-up to the ongoing election was the manifestos of political parties. While some parties took ages to write it down some opted for just a slight change in their previous manifestos. But in either case, the crux of the story was that all the political parties ~ Congress, BJP, AAP or Left ~ were casual in terms of releasing their manifesto. Some 1.25 crore Indians are all set to exercise their franchise in the world's biggest election exercise from 7-12 May and votes will be counted on 16 May. But in midst of all this, the question bothering everybody again and again is what made these political parties take their manifestos so lightly. If one takes a look back in history, one will find that a manifesto was a communication tool. The party manifesto is prepared in order to both increase the percentage of votes and explain the programmes and aims of the party to the electorate. India's first prime minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru released his manifesto just as a Five-Year-Plan ~ it used to top his priority list. Although, in recent decades the status of electoral manifesto has diminished somewhat due to a significant tendency for winning parties to, following the election, either ignore, indefinitely delay, or even outright reject manifesto policies which were used to rouse public popularity.
What is a manifesto?
For any political party its manifesto is generally acc
epted as the most
significant and effective communication tool as it contains the plans,
strategies and tactics for the political thoughts and beliefs on
governing the country. The most distinctive point between the different
political party manifestos is reference to different political thoughts
with the right to choose the most effective one. Moreover, it is obvious
that the political party has to develop a specific manifesto, which is
able to convey all the important thoughts, aims and political
principles, while being comprehensive and dynamic to keep up with the
changing conditions that can affect the country's domestic politics and
international relations as well. Election manifestos play an important
role in all the countries vying to form a government at the state or at
the national level. These manifestos act as the guideline as well as the
mirror for interpreting the process by which a political party will
function for the welfare of the public. Why this apathy?
The lack of seriousness towards the election manifesto could be traced from the year 1996 and courtesy goes to none other than the coalition government then. The nature of governments that have been formed at the centre since 1996 was one of coalition, which was with support and participation of at least half a dozen political parties. In this type of government, the role and importance of individual party manifestos get diluted, if not completely devalued. In some coalition governments of the past, the pre-poll manifestos of individual parties gave way to a post-poll common minimum programme.
And in some coalition governments, even a common minimum programme was given a go-by and governance followed neither the manifestos of the coalition partners nor any mutually agreed action plan. The next government after May 2014 is also likely to be led by a coalition of parties, political pundits predict. That perhaps explains why both political parties and even the voters have turned indifferent towards the promises made in manifestos.
Promises fulfilled?
Election manifestos play an important role as they act as a guideline as well as mirror to interpret the process by which a political party will function for the welfare of the public. Here the question comes as to how many of these promises get fulfilled. Most of us would agree they are not. So what is the purpose of the releasing a manifesto? Could this be a reason that the manifesto is now reduced to a promotional pamphlet? Is this also why voters also seem disinterested towards political manifestos? If politicians say manifestos are made for the welfare for the people, why are they not made by people's choice. Therefore, with coming of elections, various NGOs, people and organisations are coming up with their own manifesto dedicated to different segments of society. For instance, some are coming up with manifestos for women, some for the handicapped, some for transgender people and for children.
Women's manifesto
While deciding the manifesto many of our leaders forget about those who contribute a lot to the country. Yes, women, who constitute around 49 per cent of population or voters of the country, have negligible presence among the leaders. For them Tata Global Beverages and the Tata group released a 10-point "Voice of 49%" women's manifesto, aggregating issues raised by more than a million women from across India. The key issues that have emerged in the manifesto are broadly around the themes of violence, safety, health and education. "In our research we found that for most women, decisions on who to vote for are influenced by male members of their families. They are not able to contribute their voice in an election. They go with the flow. But we urge women to go and cast an informed vote for a candidate, who is most likely to address their issues ahead of General Elections 2014," said Vikram Grover, vice-president, marketing, India and South Asia, Tata Global Beverages.
Some of the points raised are: politicians must lead by example by displaying zero tolerance for perpetrators of domestic abuse and dowry in political parties; address the under representation of women in Parliament through increased representation in party ticket distribution as well as cabinet; make gender sensitisation for boys a compulsory part of the school curriculum from Class V to XII in order to counter eve-teasing; increase percentage of women police personnel from current five per cent to at least 33 per cent; build a combined "front line army" of government workers, NGOs, local health and sanitation workers with accredited social health activists; build 1crore women toilets within a year with privacy and 24/7 access to water; provide mandatory crèches and women-friendly maternity policies that include long-term leave ~ both rural and urban; incentivise schooling for girls by providing financial saving schemes and free transportation; install GPS on all buses, double the number of street lights and provide round the clock public transportation for women; and provide complete medical, legal and psychological support to victims of domestic violence by instituting special family counseling centres in government buildings and policy centres
Manifesto for youth
Apart from women, the youth has been always been another focal point for politicians. And why not, as they constitute more than 70 per cent of the population? However, there are hardly any political parties, which have given youth more space. Though they have been ignored by the politicians, this time they do not seem to be keep quiet. And to help them, many NGOs have also joined them. In one such initiative, UnManifesto 10+1:Tipping point of our Democracy, 40 organisations reached out to 14.5 lakh youth, across the spectrum of identities, in 20 Indian states and two union territories. Of the 80,000 promises collected and collated through on-ground facilitation, events and online portals, top 10+1 promises were presented to different political parties to include in their manifestos. The group had representations from schools and colleges, urban-rural youth groups, people from marginalised communities, including the LGBT community. Their demands are in all spheres ~ a better education system with stronger emphasis on implementation of Right to Education (RTE); amending of AFSPA in northeastern states; demanding safe public spaces for women with greater emphasis on fighting violence against women; voicing the need for good-quality 24 hour hospitals in remote rural areas; the need for decriminalisation of article 377; the requirement of passing of the 33 per cent reservation for youth and women in Parliament; the urgency of passing of Lokpal Bill to curb corruption; the dire need of providing unemployment wages for the people above the age of 21; and not just demanding legalisation of sex work but also providing sex workers with health benefits and pensions.
Manifesto for children
"Just because we do not have the right to vote and choose our leaders does not mean that our rights should be denied by the political parties. They should understand the apathy that we undergo each day and mention our needs in their menifestos," said 18-year-old Murugan, summing up the story of thousands of teenagers who are not only concerned about t
heir
future but also their political leaders. Organised by the National
Assembly of Children with Vulnerabilities, hosted by World Vision India
in the Capital from 16 states across the country, the children gathered
to raise their voices and put forward their demands to national leaders
and urge political parties to include their voices in their election
manifestos. They have raised issues like drug de-addiction facilities in
every district, no rag-picking by kids, stopping of child abuse and
exploitation. "It is unfortunate to reflect on the fact that 40 per cent of India's population is below the age of 18 years and only 3.9 per cent of the Central Budget is allocated for child-related issues. It is because of such negligence that the vulnerable children feel insecure in our society and this has prompted them to come forward with their demands.
Many of the disabled children from various parts of the country shared their bitter experience in the pursuit of education and discussed the need for a handicapped-friendly infrastructure in schools and
colleges.
Manifesto for all
A group of civil society organizations, led by Wada Na Todo Abhiyaan, released the "People's Manifesto" in an effort to give voice to the demands, concerns and aspirations of the people across the country before the upcoming elections. Their demands are to ensure the highest standards of healthcare accessible to and affordable by all; prevent health conditions from worsening by ensuring universal access to safe drinking water and sanitation facility; corporate funding for education, amounting to a minimum of six per cent of GDP; ensure nutritious food for all through effective implementation of National Food Security Act; legislate National Housing Policy and National rehabilitation Policy; strengthen implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA (MGNREGA) Act; safeguard land rights of the adivasis by strongimplementation the Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006; pass the Women's Reservation Bill with immediate effect; protect the right of every child to survive, be healthy and safe; bring a legislation on SCP and TCP to give legal sanction to the plan allocation to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes; prioritise and strengthen human rights and access to justice; and commit to accountable governance.
Party manifestoes
Congress first
In comparison to other parties, the Congress seemed to be quicker to launch their manifesto, in which one could find that they have tried to revive the economic growth, which had decelerated in the last few years of the Congress-led government. The party's manifesto is categorical about a host of progressive measures such as those on flexible labour, expeditious introduction of GST and the simplified direct taxes code, both of which should enhance the economy's efficiency. Moreover, they have also promised a new right to health policies to lift 800 million people into the middle class and GDP growth rate of more than 8 per cent in the next three years. On the question of reservation of jobs in the private sector, the Congress manifesto has adopted a tentative approach. It has talked about its commitment to creating national consensus on affirmative action for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the private sector.
Check the BJP
BJP, which claims to be the strongest contender to form or lead the next government at the Centre, and was the first to declare its prime ministerial candidate, came up with their manifesto very late. By the time, they released the manifesto, the country was already casting their votes for six Lok Sabha seats. The BJP's manifesto alludes to inflation, employment, entrepreneurship, bringing back black money lying in foreign accounts and tackling policy paralysis. On corruption, the BJP has said it will focus on public awareness, e-governance and rationalisation of the tax regime. The party also promised to bring the GST tax regime in the country and while re-affirming its stand on no FDI in multi-brand retail, said it was open to FDI in all other sectors to raise employment in the nation. How many of them get fulfilled only time will tell.
Just a year-old party, the AAP has projected itself as one of the biggest anti-corruption parties. However the party, which has termed itself as torchbearer of change, also falls in the league of those releasing their manifesto very late ~ less than a week before the country was ready to choose its next government. In its manifesto the AAP has emphasised on Jan Lokpal Bill, decentralisation of political and economic power, revival of rural economy and good governance as the priority areas. The party has promised a slew of initiatives, including installation of CCTV cameras in court rooms and police stations, and bringing down the age to contest elections from 25 to 21.
AAP's manifesto
impeccable Chinese cuisine. This was what excited us enough to pay
a visit to the restaurant, where a Dimsum festival was going on. 
