Lucknow:
Once opposed to English and computers, Samajwadi Party chief
Mulayam Singh Yadav has now realised the need to tap the youth
voters in Uttar Pradesh, promising them laptops and tablets in his
party's election manifesto released here Friday.
Apart from promising sops like higher job quotas to Muslims, he
also assured release of Muslim youth hauled up for suspected
terrorism. He has also assured implementation of recommendations
of the Sachchar Committee and Rangnath Misra Commission for the
community's benefit.
Mulayam Singh also declared that he would set up a high-level
commission of inquiry to go into the alleged "financial
irregularities" committed by the Mayawati government.
"All class 12 passed students will be given laptops while those
clearing their class 10 will get tablets if our party comes to
power in Uttar Pradesh," Mulayam said at a press conference while
releasing the manifesto at the party headquarters here.
He not only offered free education in schools, but even
professional education -- engineering and medicine -- without any
fees to students with annual family income of less than Rs.5 lakh.
"While books would be given free to all students up to class 8,
girls will be entitled to completely free education right up the
BA level," he added.
Mulayam Singh also kept the Muslim community in his focus.
"We will give higher reservation to Muslims in all government jobs
so that it is proportionate to their population," he said, while
adding: "There was need to use the same yardstick for the Muslim
quota as it was applied in case of Dalits."
He also assured that if his party were to come to power, he would
also ensure release of all such youth, who were put behind bars on
the mere suspicion of involvement in terrorist acts.
He has also promised free power supply to weavers, who are mostly
Muslims.
"We will provide assured power supply for 22 hours in all urban
and 20 hours in rural areas of the state," declared the Samajwadi
Party chief, while also promising free power for irrigation
purposes."
The Samajwadi Party also proposes to completely do away with
acquisition of cultivable land.
"Only non-cultivable land would be acquired for public purposes
and that too, by paying the farmer six times of the official
circle rate of land," Mulayam Singh said.
"The government will not have any role to play in acquisition of
land for development by private players," he added.
The Samajwadi Party also announced soft loans to farmers at an
interest rate of 4 percent and a ban on auction of farmers' land
in case of default.
"Besides, we will also provide 50 percent of premium towards crop
insurance and also pension to all farmers above the age of 65
years," he added.
Among his other promises were "two saris to all women living below
the poverty line, replacement of cycle rickshaws by motorised
ones, free treatment to all in government hospitals and free shops
to all cobblers".
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