The Indian Congress Party was accused on Wednesday of not owning up to their past mistakes and making the same old promises in this year's election manifesto, Business Standard reported.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi, and Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi spoke on poverty, women, youth and minorities in the unveiling of their manifesto.
Accusing the currently-ruling Congress party of causing inflation in India, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Bharatiya Janata Party leader, said they were shirking away from taking responsibility of their failures.
"Unemployment is increasing in the country every day. Why is it happening? They should have mentioned this in the manifesto. Why have the challenges of international and national safety increased? If Congress thinks that the opposition has created such an image of them, it's not true. That image of Congress is being seen as a ground reality. If there is inflation, then isn't it true that they have nexus with money grabbers? Congress is solely responsible for inflation. They can't improve their image by imposing the responsibility of their failures on others," said Naqvi.
In its last attempt to fight anti-incumbency in the upcoming general elections, Congress made promises of providing inclusive growth for all sections of society from poor, middle class to business class, according to Business Standard.
"Congress manifesto is repeating the same old promises which they have broken again and again. And I think to repeat jokes that you have broken is a cruel joke on the people," Brinda Karat, Communist Party of India-Marxist, said. "They are talking about health. In the last five to ten years under their watch, health services have become so expensive according to their own figure, crores of people are pushed below the poverty line because they cannot afford health services which are all being privatized and as far as food security is concerned, this again is a cruel joke on the people."
Among other topics, the manifesto made promises about housing for the poor, pensions for the aged and the disabled and right to health for all.
Creation of various new jobs and an eight percent growth rate were also mentioned, Business Standard reported.
Dissing Congress' efforts, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Ashutosh said the Congress cannot gain back the support they have already lost.
"Congress will keep repeating that it fulfilled all its promises. But what's the reality? The atmosphere which is persisting in the country, from that it's clear that people do not trust Congress anymore. No matter whatever they say, it won't change anything," said Ashutosh.
