Ruling party makes big undertakings to help poor farmers and build a temple in Kashmir to stop voters being tempted by opposition parties
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures at an event to present the Bharatiya Janata Party election manifesto in New Delhi on April 8, 2019. Photo: AFP/STR
The BJP’s big-spending manifesto was accompanied by promises to keep its Hindu bedrock behind the party that won a landslide victory in 2014 but has lost key state elections in recent months. The rights of outsiders in Kashmir and the temple promise have become flashpoint issues between Hindus and Muslims in recent years.Tens of thousands have died in an uprising lasting three decades against Indian rule in Kashmir, while the burning down of the five-century-old Ayodhya mosque led to riots in which more than 2,000 people, mainly Muslims, were killed.
Facing criticism from the opposition Congress party, the BJP said more than $1.4-trillion would be spent during the next five-year term if it wins. It promised metro trains for 50 cities and to double the national highway network. “It [the manifesto] is multilayered and multidimensional because our society is very diverse. We can’t have a one-size-fits-all kind of policy,” Modi said.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Narendra Modi vows to remove Kashmir’s special rightsPrime minister and leader of the ruling BJP makes an election promise which could cause widespread unrest in the Muslim-majority state of Kashmir
Read more »
Did India's Modi fulfil his economic promises?As Modi, 68, seeks a second term in India's almost six-week mega-election beginning on Thursday, AFP looks at how he has delivered on his main economic pledges.
Read more »
India's Modi vows to remove Kashmir's special rights as election looms | IOL NewsIndia's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party said it would remove decades-old special rights for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Read more »
Manifestos Unpacked: ‘Big Three’ political parties overpromise on schools infrastructure as elections loomWith general elections just over a month away, political parties are putting their best foot forward, offering lofty promises in their manifestos that they claim will transform South Africa for the better. With regards to schools infrastructure, the ‘big three’ parties (ANC, DA and EFF) have either made outlandish promises to resolve issues in record time, or have paid scant attention to them. Either way school infrastructure continues to raise alarm bells as pit toilets, crumbling school buildings and missing textbooks continue to stand in the way of learners exercising their constitutional right to education.
Read more »
Promises & manifestos: A political wrap one month before electionsHere is a wrap of promises made, spats between parties, and the issues that took centre stage during the elections manifestos.
Read more »
Digital transformation could unlock R5 trillion in 10 yearsDigital transformation has the potential to unlock more than R5 trillion worth of value in the next 10 years for South Africa if key initiatives across government and the price sector are implemented, by Les2020ic
Read more »
Infrastructure changes needed to curb Hout Bay taxi violence, says MEC
Read more »
The three women hoping to upset India’s Modi at the pollsIndia's alpha-male Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces three formidable women looking to spoil his chances of winning a new term in elections beginning next week.
Read more »
Corruption costs $1-trillion in tax revenue globally, says IMFFighting graft can reduce waste, help to lift test scores among public school students, and improve public trust, research from the international organisation shows
Read more »
India's Election Commission buried under bias accusations as election looms | IOL NewsAhead of the election that starts on Thursday, the Election Commission of India says it is swamped with accusations of violation of election rules.
Read more »