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India's 2024 general election: The Modi party's promises

June 1, NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has made the following key pledges in its electoral manifesto and at campaign rallies.
According to exit polls, Modi is predicted to win a third consecutive term following the general election that concluded on Saturday. The deadline for results is June 4.

 
COMMONWEALTH CODE

 
The national code that the BJP's manifesto pledges to replace the nation's religion-specific civil laws is perceived by many Muslims as an attempt to curtail the centuries-old religious customs that their minority adheres to.

Although one of the key pledges of the BJP, a unified set of civil rules has been difficult to achieve due to communal disagreements.

Indians of diverse religious backgrounds can choose to adhere to secular laws or legislation unique to their religion at this time. Religions have different laws about inheritance, who and how many individuals one can marry, and how to dissolve a marriage. Everyone will be subject to the same set of regulations as outlined in the new code.
According to the BJP, the code is essential for promoting national unification and unity as well as gender justice and equality.

TEMPLES AT AREAS OF CONTROVERSY

Party leaders have stated that another resounding electoral win will enable them to construct temples on other contentious locations after Modi fulfilled a long-standing promise by erecting a temple to the Hindu god Ram at a hotly contested location earlier this year.
Hindu organizations have historically maintained that Muslim invaders for centuries constructed mosques on top of destroyed Hindu shrines. In the BJP-ruled state of Uttar Pradesh, two similar mosques—one in Mathura and one in Varanasi—are the subject of court disputes.

One country, one vote

Every five years, Modi's party has pledged to carry out an official report that suggests holding simultaneous elections for the national parliament and all 28 state assemblies in India.
State elections are currently not required to take place in tandem with national elections, resulting in a scenario where the nation holds elections every few months.

Simultaneous elections, according to a government-appointed commission in March, will enhance growth and governance; however, Modi's opponents claim this goes against the federal structure that is provided by the Indian constitution.

In order to implement the change, a new law must be approved by parliament and adopted by every state.

 

ECONOMIC

 
The BJP manifesto "guarantees" that India's economy will rise from fifth to third place in the globe. The party pledges to minimize the budget deficit while maintaining strong growth and low inflation. It also discusses increasing employment and manufacturing.

 
The new Modi administration is probably going to enact labor rules that make it simpler for businesses to hire and fire workers in an effort to draw foreign investors to India.
But in the previous ten years, the government hasn't produced enough jobs, which has caused job seekers to occasionally protest. The private think tank CMIE reports that in April, India's jobless rate increased to 8.1% as of March 2024, 7.4%.

Furthermore, Modi has not provided any proposals to address the issue of rising food costs, which was a major campaign platform for the opposition.

INDIA'S NORTHEAST  PEACE

In addition, Modi's party pledges to uphold peace in the northeast region of the country, omitting to address the BJP-ruled, violent state of Manipur, where ethnic conflicts have resulted in at least 220 fatalities and thousands of displaced individuals.

Numerous citizens of the state report that there is general dissatisfaction with Modi's government's failure to put an end to what detractors have referred to as a hybrid state of chaos and civil war. Despite the protracted dispute, Rahul Gandhi, Modi's main opponent from the Congress party, has questioned Modi's reluctance to visit the state on several occasions.