Janata Dal (United), Samajwadi Party (SP) and Left parties have come together in Gujarat to challenge BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on his home turf by forming a 'Progressive Forum', to contest elections from 11 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat.
Gujarat units of the Janata Dal (United), Samajwadi Party, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM), Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Socialist Party formed a 'Progressive Forum' in Ahmedabad on Tuesday and released their 16-point election manifesto.
Earlier, 11 parties had come together at the national level to form a 'Third Front'. Out of the those 11 parties, five parties, including the Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) which broke away from the NDA on the issue of Narendra Modi being declared PM candidate, have decided to challenge Modi in his home state.
"We will fight 11 Lok Sabha seats from Gujarat out of 26," Arun Mehta of the CPI(M) said in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. "Which party will field candidates from which seat from Gujarat has not yet been finalised," vice-president of the state JD(U) unit, Govind Jadhav said.
Criticising both BJP and the Congress for their economic policy, the forum alleged that there is no difference between these parties and that they follow similar policies.
"At any cost, we will put up a common fight to remove Congress from power and restrain BJP so that they cannot capture power," the Progressive Forum's election manifesto said.
Advocating the rights of tribals, the Forum said, "By implementing Schedule 5 and 6 of the constitution in Gujarat, we will form autonomous councils in tribals areas".
"Acquisition of pastures or land belonging to marginalised farmers and tribals will be absolutely banned," Forum's manifesto said, adding that acquired lands of marginalised farmers, tribals and pastures would be returned to them.
The manifesto also promises to stop the Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor project, which the Progressive Forum alleged, had "captured" 37 per cent its land from dispossessed tribals, farmers and pasture land.
Raising issues related to employment generation, the Forum manifesto said that said that 40,000 seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are vacant and those posts would be filled up.
"We will give full salary to thousands of 'Vidya Sahayaks' (assistant teachers) and security personnel who are given a meagre salary of Rs 4,500," the manifesto said.
The Forum vowed to stop privatisation of educational and health institutions saying, "Our priority will be to decrease the drop-out ratio". "We will also provide good healthcare so that malnutrition in children and women is prevented and they can live a healthy life," the manifesto said.
The Forum's manifesto also declared a policy to provide sufficient financial compensation to labourers, sweepers, transporters, salt-pan workers, potters, fishermen and port workers.
Raising the issue of riot victims, the manifesto said, "Victims of the 2002 riots will be compensated and riots accused will be punished". The five-party 'Third Front' in Gujarat has also promised to provide houses for the poor and the middle class.
Promising a corruption-free system and taking a cue from the Aam Aadmi Party's line, it also said that it would expose the media for propagating false development claims of the Gujarat government.
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