Congress General Secretary, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, addressing a rally in the tribal-dominated Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh, made significant pledges ahead of the November 17 assembly elections. She reaffirmed her commitment to conducting a caste census, citing the underrepresentation of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and tribals in jobs relative to their demographic proportions. Priyanka Gandhi emphasized the need for a comprehensive census to rectify this disparity.
In addition to the caste census promise, she unveiled a comprehensive set of commitments, including the implementation of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for government employees. The Congress leader proposed offering free education from Classes 1 to 12 and providing monthly allowances to students as part of the ‘Padho-Padhao’ (learn and teach) initiative. Under this program, students in Classes 1 to 8 would receive Rs 500 per month, those in Classes 9 and 10 would get Rs 1,000 per month, and students in Classes 11 and 12 would receive Rs 1,500 per month.
During her speech, Priyanka Gandhi also criticized the distribution of shoes to tribal laborers who collect tendu leaves for a living, highlighting issues such as varying shoe sizes and possible commissions in the distribution process. She expressed concern over the BJP’s election-driven announcements and noted that “250 scams” occurred during the BJP’s 18-year rule in Madhya Pradesh.
Furthermore, she pledged to address several issues, including affordable gas cylinders, a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500 for women, a loan waiver, reduced electricity costs, and free power for agricultural pumps of up to 5 HP for farmers.
As she made these promises, Priyanka Gandhi’s speech invoked comparisons with her grandmother, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, stressing her responsibility towards the tribal population and the people of Madhya Pradesh.
