Mahayuti offers aid to women, farmers, youth

Shah releases Maha manifesto

- Saurabha Kulshreshtha [e-mail]

MUMBAI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday released its manifesto for the Maharashtra assembly elections, promising a state anti-conversion law, farm loan waivers, an increase in cash handouts for women to ₹2,100, and a monthly ₹10,000 stipend for a million young people, while also clarifying that the Mahayuti alliance it leads was yet to decide on a chief ministerial candidate.

Union home minister Amit Shah released the 25-point vision document during an event in Mumbai, accompanied by Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union minister Piyush Goyal and state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule. Among the promises were also 2.5 million new jobs and a programme to supply kitchen essentials spices and oil to low-income families.

"The BJP's resolutions are etched in stone. Whether it is the Centre or the state, when our government is formed, we fulfil our resolutions," said Shah.

During the event, Shah also tore into the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), accusing it of trying to slash reservations for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes and "giving them to Muslims".

It said a "skill census will be conducted in Maharashtra to analyse the skill gaps based on industry needs."

"This will enable the provision of skilled manpower and facilitate the planning for the availability of a new skilled workforce as required," said the document.

The party's Sankalp Patra also promised an anti-conversion law, which it has either promised or implemented in several states that it is in power.