BJP woos Aam Aadmi with tax sops

The BJP sought to outbid the Congress in the populist stakes, firmly fixing its sights on the middle class voter by promising tax breaks and low interest rates, beckoning the defence and paramilitary forces with tax-free incomes and pledging to provide cheap foodgrains for the poor. Keen to avoid being seen as either elitist or insensitive to the interests of rural voters, the BJP, in its manifesto, promised sops like farm loans at 4%, waiving of all agricultural loans, assured income schemes for farmers, loans to poor vendors and a revision of minimum wages besides targeted schemes for girl students and women from SC, ST and BPL families. Taking due care to address its traditional voting blocs, the party has sought to lure urban voters who have begun to feel the pinch of the economic slowdown in the form of job losses and shrinking incomes coupled with high interest rates. Going all out, the BJP offered specifics like doing away with fringe benefit tax—an irritant with companies and salaried persons—while promising cheaper home loans and kickstarting the stalled realty sector. By saying that it would hike the income-tax exemption limit to Rs 3 lakh and by an additional Rs 50,000 for women, the BJP manifesto hopes to put more money into the hands of the consumer and householder. In what seems a classic spend-your-wayout-of-trouble prescription, the BJP said it hoped to deliver a booster dose to NDA projects like national highways and village road linking. The party has perhaps signalled a first by approaching the paramilitary and armed forces as a large and influential voting bloc. Advani categorically said the one rank, one pension issue would be resolved and implemented. It will benefit 20 lakh personnel. If voted to power, the BJP has promised a low interest regime and sops for farmers Will provide poor families 35 kg of foodgrain at Rs 2 a kg To hike income-tax exemption limit to Rs 3 lakh, plans to give armymen and senior citizens tax-free income and pension respectively Soft-pedals Ram temple, to abrogate Article 370, promises stronger terror laws, to act tough with Pakistan .Interestingly, the BJP’s Hindutva issues have been mentioned only in passing. Even the argument for a uniform civil code has been couched in a call for gender justice in matters of divorce, marriage and property rights. On security and terrorism, the party makes its well-known points for stronger anti-terror laws but also promises a revamp of the intelligence agencies. On foreign policy, it has stuck to its prescription of a tough or coercive approach towards Pakistan and while criticising the India-US nuclear deal it has not spoken about scrapping it. The BJP has somewhat controversially promised to bring in legislation that will make parliamentary approval mandatory for the government of the day signing a deal like the nuclear accord. The de-emphasis of Hindutva could well have to do with the fact that the NDA is due to come out with its agenda for governance. The agenda will certainly add the concerns of the BJP’s allies and tread carefully on the matter. The party has opposed FDI in the retail sector to protect the interests of small traders, a key support group. A “workers’ bank’’ for the unorganised sector is another promise. More than ever before, the BJP has made a direct and strong pitch to women voters, both in rural areas and in the urban middle class. If the party comes to power, the Ladli Laxmi Yojna, which has been successful in Madhya Pradesh, will be extended nationally to help girl children from BPL families. Taking forward what it had conceived when in government during 1999-2004, the BJP has promised to provide an improved version of the multipurpose national identity cards (MNIC)—comprising personal details of citizens—to all Indians within three years, if comes to power. “The BJP will launch an innovative programme to establish a countrywide system of MNIC so as to ensure national security, correct welfare delivery, accurate tax collection, financial inclusion and voter registration,” the party said in its manifesto. The national ID cards would have enough memory and processing capabilities to run multiple applications. It will be linked to a person’s bank account. The BJP has promised an improved version within three years. The card will allow a person to save and borrow money.