MP polls: BJP promises higher MSP for wheat, paddy; houses under ‘Ladli Bahna'; LPG cylinder at Rs 450

Bhopal: The BJP on Saturday released its manifesto for the November 17 Madhya Pradesh elections promising MSP for wheat at Rs 2,700 per quintal and paddy at Rs 3,100 and houses for beneficiaries of the state's flagship scheme ‘Ladli Bahna'. Free education to girls from poor families up to post-graduation, free education to poor students up to Class 12 and cooking gas cylinder at Rs 450 for beneficiaries of Ladli Bahna and ‘PM Ujjwala' schemes are among its other highlights.

The 96-page ‘Sankalp Patra' (vision document) was released here by BJP president JP Nadda along with the party's state chief VD Sharma, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh and other leaders. In its manifesto, the BJP has promised a Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 2,700 per quintal of wheat and Rs 3,100 for the same quantity of paddy. It also promises houses for beneficiaries of the Ladli Bahna programme and jobs to at least one member of every family or the opportunity for self-employment.

According to the vision document, the party will set up technological institutes in MP along the lines of IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology) and medical institutions in a similar way to AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) if the BJP retains power in the state. It also promises six new expressways and a budget of Rs 3 lakh crore for the empowerment of tribal communities. Nadda in his address said that BJP is the only political party which has implemented its manifestos in letter and spirit by making it the road map of the government. The BJP also keeps an eye on manifesto implementation through its monitoring system, he said. State BJP chief VD Sharma said that a committee has prepared the manifesto after discussions and seeking suggestions from all sections and intellectuals of society.

“The manifesto includes the aspirations of the people,” he said and added that conventions were organised at divisional levels to discuss it. He said that boxes were kept during the party's “11,000-km-long Jan Ashirwad Yatra”, a mass-contact programme, in which seven lakh suggestions were received. Many of them were researched and included in the manifesto, he said. Chouhan said the Congress was wondering why the BJP is bringing out its manifesto on ‘Narak Chaturdashi'. “The Congress doesn't know mythology and history. It was the day when Krishna freed sisters from Narakasur,” he said. The chief minister said they will make the manifesto the road map for Madhya Pradesh's development. The BJP government has tried to fulfil people's aspirations by implementing all its promises, he added.