Our 10 guarantees to be implemented within time frame, there will be accountability: Himachal Cong

“The voters have a weapon and can hold us accountable for our promises. If we do not fulfil them, the public can use its mandate against us. The reason behind this assurance is a self-belief that the party has to work for the people. The BJP leaders can visit any part of the state and they will find development carried out by the Congress. All sections of society are being taken care of in our set of guarantees,” said AICC spokesperson Pawan Khera, accompanied by party colleague Supriya Shrinate.

The burden of proof lies on the present government to present its report card on its manifesto in the previous elections. The ruling BJP has not carried out any work which is different from the set of policies implemented by the Congress over the years, said Khera.

In the set of guarantees, the marquee schemes include restoration of the old pension scheme (OPS), Rs 1,500 monthly financial assistance for women between 18 and 60 years of age group, creation of five lakh jobs, and 300 units of free electricity.

The party has also guaranteed fair prices for crops and fruits, a Rs 680 crore start-up fund, mobile clinics, quality education, and purchasing 10 litres of milk from local producers and purchasing cow dung for Rs 2 per kg.

The guarantees were announced by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel along with Rajeev Shukla and other senior leaders. National-level leaders are making visits to the region signalling an aggressive campaign by the party. Former Union minister Anand Sharma, who had recently expressed discontent against the party’s functioning, remained absent from the guarantee announcement ceremony.

A key meeting will be held in Delhi on September 5 to discuss ticket distribution. The party had invited applications from candidates across the state. A total of 1,347 applications were received till Thursday evening as the deadline expired. More than 670 applications were sent online. A screening committee will scrutinise the applications and a set of names will be sent to the high command.