Lok Sabha election 2024: Congress manifesto focusses on five 'pillars of justice' — key highlights

Top Congress leaders on Friday, March 5, released the party's manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections focussing on the five 'pillars of justice'. The manifesto was released by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, former party presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, senior leaders PC Chidambaram and KC Venugopal.


In its manifesto, the Congress laid emphasis on 'Paanch Nyay' or five pillars of justice, including 'Yuva Nyay', 'Naari Nyay', 'Kisaan Nyay', 'Shramik Nyay' and 'Hissedari Nyay' as well as the guarantees made by it to the people as part of its poll promises for 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

On the manifesto launch, Kharge said, "This manifesto of ours will be remembered as 'Nyay ka dastavez' in the political history of the country. The Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra, which was run under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, focused on five pillars during the yatra: Yuva Nyay, Kisan Nyay, Naari Nyay, Shramik Nyay and Hissedari Nyay was announced. Out of these five pillars, 25 guarantees emerge, and in every 25 guarantees, someone or the other gets benefited, under this, we have our manifesto here."

Also read | Student loans waiver, ₹10,000 sports scholarships — promises in Congress manifesto targeting the youth

The party said it will conduct a nationwide Socio-Economic and Caste Census to enumerate the castes and sub-castes and their socio-economic conditions and it will pass a constitutional amendment to raise the 50% cap on reservations for SC, ST and OBC.

Here are the key highlights:

• The party will launch a Mahalakshmi scheme to provide Rs 1 lakh per year to every poor Indian family as an unconditional cash transfer. The poor will be identified among the families in the bottom of the income pyramid.


• The party will reserve one-half (50 per cent) of central government jobs for women starting in 2025.


• MNREGA minimum wage will be raised to  ₹400 a day


• The Centre's contribution to pensions for senior citizens, widows and persons with disabilities under the National Social Assistance Programme remains a pitiful ₹200 to ₹500 per month. The Congress will raise this amount to ₹1,000 per month.


• The Rajasthan Model of cashless insurance up to ₹25 lakhs will be adopted for universal healthcare.


• The party will pass a law making it an offence to commit acts of violence against doctors and other health professionals while performing their duties.


• The party will abolish application fees for government examinations and government posts. As a one-time measure of relief, the amount due including unpaid interest as of March 15, 2024, all student educational loans will be written off and the banks will be compensated by the government.


• Will give a legal guarantee to the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) announced by the government every year, as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission.


• The party promises not to interfere with personal choices of food and dress, to love and marry, and to travel and reside in any part of India. All laws and rules that interfere unreasonably with personal freedoms will be repealed.


• The party promises to amend the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution and make defection (leaving the original party on which the MLA or MP was elected) an automatic disqualification of the membership in the Assembly or Parliament.


• The Congress has set a target of doubling the GDP in the next 10 years.


• The Congress will replace the GST laws enacted by the BJP/NDA government with GST 2.0. The new GST regime will be based on the universally accepted principle that GST shall be a single, moderate rate (with a few exceptions) that will not burden the poor.


• The party will enact a separate legislation for the registration of sports federations/bodies/associations which will ensure full compliance with the Olympic Charter, allow for autonomy and full accountability, and provide recourse for members and sportspersons against discrimination, bias, sexual harassment, abuse, wrongful termination, etc. Congress will provide sports scholarships of ₹10,000 per month to talented and budding sports persons below the age of 21.A day after the manifesto launch, Kharge and the Gandhis will address public rallies in Jaipur and Hyderabad where they will also highlight the key elements of the manifesto.