Congress manifesto unveiled, takes up temple agenda of BJP

More than two weeks after its senior electoral partner DMK declared its poll manifesto, Congress released its manifesto as a complementary docu ment on Wednesday with similar promises to eradicate corruption, appoint a Lok Ayukta, ensure good governance, implement total prohibition and revive the traditional bull sport jallikattu. Taking a leaf from the AIADMK manifesto, Congress also offered free travel to senior citizens in the public transport system.

As TNCC chief EVKS Elangovan read out the salient points of the 71-page manifesto, it appeared that the Congress-DMK were on the same page as the BJP which has made corruption and good governance its main poll plank.A beaming Congress spokesperson Khusbhu Sundar who was flanked by the party's TV panelist C R Kesavan and AICC general secretary Mukul Wasnik said the manifesto proposes to increase reservation for women in local body administration from 33% to 50%.

An interesting nugget is the proposal to have 2% reservation in government jobs for transgenders. Other promises are freeing temples from political interference which smacks of the BJP manifesto, besides extension of the metro rail project to Coimbatore, Madurai, Trichy and Salem, attract investments for new power projects especially solar energy, bringing fishermen under scheduled tribes category, waiver of farmers' loans, rejuvenating the Cooum river to promote tourism, make Tamil teaching compulsory and institute a chair to promote Tamil at Harvard university. It attacks the ruling AIADMK for failing to implement erstwhile UPA government's legislation like food security act and state disaster management mechanism.

Meanwhile, the AICC has reinstated the candidature of popular local leader R Ganesh for the Udhagamandalam seat after first nominating him and later replacing him with a block-level leader B Ramachandran. Following assurances from the high command, AICC member S M Hidyatullah withdrew his resignation which he had tendered protesting the inadequate number of tickets given to minority leaders as well as dalits and OBCs. He had served an ultimatum that he and some others should be fielded as candidates before April 29 when the nominations close.