NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress has thrown a spanner in the works of the
INDIA alliance
plan to release a
joint manifesto
for the opposition bloc to convey a sense of purpose and unity going forward in the
Lok Sabha elections
.
Well-placed sources said efforts are on to bring
TMC
chief and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee around by impressing upon her the urgency to put out a minimal consensus document laying out the promises of the opposition to the voters as her opposition is proving to be the main stumbling block to its release.
TMC objects to caste census in manifesto
Sources said TMC has objected to the inclusion of “caste census” in the joint document, which is in line with its earlier red flag to the flagship policy measure on social justice. However, TMC had in the past come around when the INDIA grouping in one of its meetings succeeded in putting “caste census” in its agenda document, and then also repeated it in the public rallies.
For the TMC to again raise an objection to the promise that if voted to power, the opposition will hold a nationwide headcount to determine the population of OBCs as well as other communities, appears to have raised doubts in key opposition quarters behind the intention of the Bengal outfit. Sources said the TMC appears more keen to stall the joint document, and is only using “caste census” as a pretext. Meanwhile, Mamata again on Saturday accused Congress and CPM for being hand in glove with BJP in West Bengal, and said “I had coined the name INDIA, but INDIA doesn’t exist in Bengal, it exists outside the state”.
Sources said there is no point in releasing a document without “caste census” because it is a key plank of the Congress manifesto, and there is an unanimity on it in the coalition barring the TMC. Else, the option is to unveil the manifesto without the TMC’s support.
The joint document is also likely to have a few key flagship promises made by Congress in its manifesto, on which there is practically an agreement with other constituents of the
India bloc
.
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