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Congress promises Legislative Council

Staff Correspondent

DEHRA DUN: The ruling Congress in Uttarakhand unfolded its election manifesto here on Friday promising establishment of a 31-member State Legislative Council, spending 20 per cent of the budget on women's empowerment, free power for Below Poverty Line families and a host of development initiatives if voted to power for a second term in the upcoming elections.

All these emotive issues were topped off with the senior party leader in-charge of Uttarakhand, Motilal Vora, PCC president Harish Rawat and senior party leader Vidya Stokes appealing for a vote as a "farewell gift" to outgoing Chief Minister Narayan Dutt Tiwari.

Mr. Tiwari, who went emotional for a few moments, urged the people to forget petty differences and vote for the Congress "which is an institution wedded to the philosophy of development for all". Without naming any party, he asked the people to see through "short sighted programmes and philosophy of communal and casteist forces".

The party has promised relief for almost all sections in the 64-page manifesto. Mr. Rawat, who has been at loggerheads with Mr. Tiwari all through his tenure, could be seen reeling out the large number of steps the Chief Minister had taken to shape Uttarakhand on to the way of rapid development. "The industrial areas established here would soon be like Noida in U.P. and provide direct or indirect employment to the locals," he said.

Besides promoting intensive agriculture, the party will increase the forest rights of farmers and give land to the landless.

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