Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister P Chidambaram expressed his approval on Saturday towards the Centre's decision to slash the price of LPG cylinders by Rs 100. However, he emphasized the importance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi assuring that the price would not be hiked again if his party were to return to power.
Additionally, Chidambaram raised questions regarding the budgetary allocation for ambitious projects totaling over Rs 5.90 lakh crore, including the Rs 17,300 crore projects earmarked for Tamil Nadu, which were announced by the Prime Minister within a fortnight, starting from February 22nd. Speaking to reporters at Satyamurthy Bhavan, the Congress state headquarters here, Chidambaram said his party leader Rahul Gandhi has given five guarantees to the nation ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, and that these will translate into poll assurances in the party’s election manifesto.
The guarantees encompass several key commitments, including a pledge to address unemployment by filling approximately 30 lakh vacancies within the Central government. Additionally, the introduction of the Right to Apprenticeship Law aims to benefit diploma holders and graduates. A proposed new legislation seeks to curb the issue of question paper leaks in government job examinations. Furthermore, plans for social security provisions for workers engaged in informal jobs within the "Gig economy" are outlined. Lastly, there's a promise of capital support to empower young individuals to initiate their own entrepreneurial ventures.
These will be fulfilled if the alliance led by the Congress comes to power in the Lok Sabha election," Chidambaram, who heads the party’s poll manifesto committee, said. Elaborating on the assurances, he said the legislation on question paper leak would also ensure monetary compensation to the victims besides trial in fast-track courts to punish the offenders.
When asked for his response to the Prime Minister's announcement on International Women’s Day regarding the reduction of domestic gas cylinder prices by Rs 100, Chidambaram replied, "I welcome the reduction. But Modi should assure that he will not increase the price if his party comes to power again."