End to mafia raj, jobs among BJP's promises

Shimla: Dismantling mafia raj, women’s safety, free ‘chardham’ pilgrimage for the elderly and jobs for the youth are among the key focus areas in the BJP’s ‘Vision Document’ for the Himachal Pradesh polls.

The document, released by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley here on Sunday, also promised a 24-hour helpline in the chief minister’s office for reporting all types of crimes and setting up of Somnath Vahini, a task force of former servicemen to take on drug mafia and crime. The strong focus on measures to better the law and order situation comes in the backdrop of widespread protests over the Kotkhai rape and murder case and other incidents.

“The BJP government would have to do ten years’ work in five years as the present Congress government did not take up any developmental work  while re-establishing the credibility of the government,” Jaitley said, releasing the manifesto. He was flanked by Union ministers J P Nadda and Thawar Chand Gehlot; former chief ministers Shanta Kumar and Prem Kumar Dhumal; state BJP chief Satpal Singh Satti and other senior leaders.

The document stressed on the eradication of corruption while claiming that the activities of land, forest, drug, mining and building mafia  would be curbed while transparency would be ushered in in public life. To ensure transparency, BJP MLAs would publicly declare all their assets, it said.

Safe drinking water to every house, road connectivity to all villages, emergency medical services in rural and remote areas, doubling the income of farmers by 2022, raising of compensation for land acquired by the government for developmental projects, social security pension and free chardham yatras for senior citizens are other salient features of the document.