New Delhi, Oct 31 As the NDA unveiled its joint manifesto, 'Sankalp Patra', for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on Friday, hailed it as a roadmap for realising the dream of a 'Viksit Bharat' through unity and inclusive growth.
Speaking to IANS, Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh said, "The NDA manifesto released today presents a clear roadmap to make Bihar a vital contributor to 'Viksit Bharat'. It focuses on employment for youth, opportunities for farmers, empowerment of women, and the development of Bihar's infrastructure and cities, in short, it envisions overall progress. The previous governments provided only 94,000 jobs, while the NDA has delivered tangible results, from roads to employment opportunities."
BJP MP and former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad highlighted the inclusive nature of the NDA manifesto.
"It focuses on farmers, backward and extremely backward classes, as well as the general category. It includes plans to provide jobs to one crore youth, establish skill centres to boost entrepreneurship, and lay out a development roadmap for the extremely backward classes. This is what genuine development means," Prasad said.
Bihar BJP President Dilip Jaiswal described the NDA manifesto as a "guarantee of the five Pandavas -- JP Nadda, Nitish Kumar, Upendra Kushwaha, Chirag Paswan, and Jitan Ram Manjhi".
He added, "It represents the guarantee of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the trust of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and the vision of a united Bihar. This manifesto is truly a roadmap for realising the dream of a 'Viksit Bharat' through strong unity."
BJP MLA Sanjeev Chaurasiya emphasised the manifesto's focus on women's empowerment.
"It is a matter of pride that this initiative reflects India's firm commitment to empowering women -- the half of our population. Dedicated funds have been allocated to ensure this goal, and every scheme aims at enhancing women's participation and strength," he said.
Bihar Minister Nitin Nabin said the manifesto is grounded in two decades of progress under the NDA government.
"Our Sankalp is built on what we have achieved in the past 20 years -- development of every section of society, every region, and every sector. We have brought prosperity to households, food to the poor, and healthcare through Ayushman Bharat. But what has the Opposition done?" he added.
BJP MP Brij Lal said, "This is our Sankalp Patra, not just an election manifesto. Others release manifestos but rarely fulfill them. The RJD's promises, for instance, are impossible to implement. But when the BJP releases a Sankalp Patra, it fulfills it."
The NDA 'Sankalp Patra' was released by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and BJP Chief J.P. Nadda in Patna on Friday morning and comes less than a week before the first phase of voting. All the leaders of the NDA's constituent parties, including Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha, Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas, and Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Morcha, were present on the dais.
The NDA manifesto makes mega promises to provide one crore government jobs in a state known for massive migration of workers.
Special focus has been on women empowerment schemes, including an ambitious target of turning one crore women into 'lakhpati didis', effectively empowering them to earn Rs 1 lakh annually, besides offering financial assistance of up to Rs 2 lakh.
The NDA manifesto promises a major infrastructure push in the state that includes the construction of four international airports and expressways.
Samrat Choudhary, Bihar's Finance Minister, while briefing the media about the NDA manifesto later, said, "The NDA promises to give one crore plus government jobs and employment, will conduct a skills census, create skill-based employment, and establish Bihar as a global learning centre with mega learning centres in every district."
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