Punjab polls 2017: AAP’s youth manifesto

GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, July 3

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal here today unveiled the party’s 51-point youth manifesto for the 2017 Assembly polls, terming it “for the youth, of the youth and by the youth”.

The manifesto, prepared by the party’s Punjab Dialogue Committee — headed by veteran journalist Kanwar Sandhu — promises to end the drug menace in a month, revamp education and end unemployment.

Addressing a gathering, Kejriwal said the ‘vision document’ was a commitment to the youth to make Punjab corruption-free, pass the Jan Lokpal Bill, crack down on the drug scourge, overhaul governance and revive the dying industry. He said the committee had finalised the manifesto after incorporating inputs from youngsters across the state.

Kejriwal, who started a three-day tour of Punjab by paying obeisance at the Golden Temple and Durgiana Temple here, claimed that AAP would win at least 100 of the 117 assembly seats in the state.

Addressing a rally, he said if his party came to power, those responsible for the desecration of Quran and Guru Granth Sahib would be behind bars within a month.

“Why has the name of Naresh Yadav cropped up in the sacrilege case just a day ahead of my Punjab visit? The SAD is playing dirty politics,” he said. “First Amarinder looted Punjab, then the Badals did it,” he added.

Party’s promises

• Creating at least 25 lakh jobs and employment opportunities in the state
• 147 entrepreneurship and skill development centres to be set up in each block
• Filling 29,000 vacant posts of schoolteachers
• Revamp of the contract system for liquor, sand and other trades to keep out politicians and their relatives
• Every village to have a modern Pendu Sehat Clinic with doctors, free medicines and diagnostic tests
• ‘Punjab Olympic Mission’ to motivate Punjab’s sportspersons; sports university with state-of-the-art facilities to be established; Majha, Malwa and Doaba to have one sports college each
• Olympic medallists from the state to get Rs 5 crore (gold), Rs 4 crore (silver) and Rs 3 crore (bronze)
• Asiad medallists to receive Rs 3 crore (gold), Rs 2 crore (silver) and Rs 1 crore