The 22-member team held 176 consultations across 56 cities fanned across 24 states and union territories, most of which were public.
The curtains on Congress's mammoth manifesto exercise — spread across 56 cities — are slated to come down by the end of February, with party president Rahul Gandhi going to participate in some of the final consultations.
The 22-member team held 176 consultations across 56 cities fanned across 24 states and union territories, most of which were public. A dedicated email ID created for suggestions also received over 31,000 mails. In addition, online petitions for manifesto suggestions garnered over 1.6 lakh signatures. The manifesto committee, under convenor Rajeev Gowda, will now prepare a draft document with chapters on 20 broad topics by the end of February.
Additionally, in Wednesday's meeting between Gandhi and heads of frontal organisations, it was decided that he will bring an end to the process by holding some public consultations. Barring that, Sam Pitroda will hold a final round of consultations in Dubai between February 21 and 23, with the Non-Resident Indians from across the globe.
Those involved said that the minimum income guarantee, announced by Rahul last month, will concentrate on the "have-nots" as opposed to landed farmers who are beneficiaries of the PM-KISAN scheme. Structural and institutional changes for farmers are in the offing, which is likely to be a debt relief commission. Additionally, simplified tax slabs under the GST, and a roadmap to implement 33% reservation for women could be on the cards. "We have held consultations with a diverse range of people and are building an inclusive document that addresses issues of a wide range of people — from economists to farmers to working women to IT personnel," said Gowda.
Tying Up Ends
In the past week, Gandhi asked leaders of state president and CLP leaders to send in five state-specific demands that the Centre can implement if the Congress comes to power.
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