BJP vs Samajwadi Party manifesto for Uttar Pradesh election 2022: Both parties dole out freebies

The BJP on Tuesday released its manifesto 'Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra 2022', just two days before the first phase of polling for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly. Taking the cue, Samajwadi Party also released 'Samajwadi Vachan Patra.'

While the  BJP on Tuesday assured free electricity for irrigation, the SP said 300 units of free electricity will be given and assured a 24-hour power supply in the entire state. 

For sugarcane farmers, while BJP said that it would facilitate speedier payment and if farmers are not paid for their sugarcane within 14 days, the sugar mills will have to shell out the interest on the amount due. The SP chief also promised, "Minimum support price will be provided to all crops and payment to sugarcane farmers will be ensured within 15 days. For this, farmers' corpus fund will be created if needed."

The freebies that the SP promised for all small and marginal farmers with less than two acres of land included two bags of DAP and five bags of urea, electricity for irrigation, interest-free loan, insurance and pension besides assistance of Rs 25 lakh to the kin of those “martyred” during the farmers' movement.

BJP also assured a job for every household and free travel for women over 60 

The Samajwadi Party, it seems, have decided to go overdrive on employment issue. The SP chief said an 'Urban Employment Guarantee Act' will be brought on the lines of MNREGA and the SP government will review and revive the IT sector so that 22 lakh people can be given employment. The government will revive and encourage the MSME sector and transform it into an engine of growth so that one crore jobs can be created in the state by the year 2027, he said. On the formation of the SP government, appointments will be made on all the vacant posts in the state's education system within a year and the short term and contractual recruitment system will be discontinued, he added. A special drive will be launched for the reinstatement of ‘Shiksha Mitras’ and doubling their training programme, he said, adding the remuneration of ‘Shiksha Mitras’ will be increased and they will be given regular government jobs within three years.

BJP says, free scooty would be provided to meritorious girl students under Rani Laxmibai Yojana to make them self-reliant. Free scooty would be provided to meritorious girl students under Rani Laxmibai Yojana to make them self-reliant. Under the Swami Vivekanand Yuva Shashaktikaran Yojana, two crore tablets and smartphones will be distributed.

The SP’s promises of freebies also included two LPG cylinders every year to BPL families, one litre of petrol to all two-wheeler owners, and three litres of petrol and six kg of CNG per month to auto-rickshaw drivers.