Some Demands and Promises: Indian Elections 2014
Author Ranjani.K.Murthy, April 17 2014:
Demands
I asked auto drivers, farmers, domestic worker and students and asked them the five demands they would make to a candidate standing for Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Indian Parliament) Elections, 2014. See Box 1 [below] for the top five demands of seven auto drivers from Chennai who were met. The demand from auto-drivers that government arrange for weddings of their children (other than selection of groom/bride) is quite interesting and reflects the growing dowry in Indian society and the social expectation to organise a wedding beyond their means.
Box 1: Demands of auto drivers
- Lower fuel prices
- Higher fares per kilometre covered
- Government arrangement of wedding of children, in particular of daughters
- Cheap price of essential commodities
- Housing, water and electricity at reasonable price
Two of the priorities of the six women domestic workers met in Pune were similar to that of auto-drivers; namely need for housing, water and electricity at a reasonable rate (but with houses on their names), and cheap price of essential commodities. Three other demands are listed in
Box 2: Demands of domestic workers
- Access to good quality health and education
- Cheap price of essential commodities And
- Housing, water and electricity at reasonable rate
- Banning of liquor shops
- Combatting violence against women, including domestic violence
The demands of women marginal farmers met in Maharashtra who also engage in agricultural work, construction work and work under the 100 day Employment Guarantee Scheme are listed in
Box 3: Demands of women farmers
- Cover for crop loss
- Access to formal credit
- Good market price for crops
- Full employment at minimum wages
- Secure land tenure for women
The female students’ priorities in Chennai comprised the following: free (As of now education is free and compulsory only till class 10 - Ministry of Human Resource Development, 2011) and good quality higher education, safe and free transport, safe education institutions, sanitation facilities and menstrual hygiene, and bigger size of housing (two bed rooms) so that they could concentrate on studies.
Promises vs demands
How far do the agendas of the three major political parties - the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party, and Aam Admi Party - meet these demands? The analysis in Table 1 reveals that the 'general' demands (pertaining to men and women) of farmers, auto drivers, students and domestic workers are better addressed than the ‘gender specific’ ones, in particular menstrual hygiene, land rights of women, government performance of dowry free marriages, closure of liquor shops, safe transport and safe education institutions. Amongst the ‘general’ demands right to a two bedroom house, higher education full employment and cheap fuel are not effectively met. The analysis suggests the need for political parties to have direct dialogue with marginalised constituencies.
Table 1: Demands vs Promises
Demands | Promises | ||
|
|
| |
General | Congress Party | Bharatiya Janata Party | Aam Admi Party |
Cheap prices of essential commodities | Right to Food | Right to food | Right to food |
Water and electricity at reasonable rates | Yes | Yes | No |
Affordable fuel | No | Yes | No |
Two bed room housing free for poor | Right to homestead & housing- no mention of size | Mission on housing. Does not mention size of house | No |
Guarantee of quality and free education, including higher education | No guarantee of higher education | No guarantee of higher education | No guarantee of higher education |
Access to good quality and reasonably priced health care | Yes | Reduction of out of pocket spending on good health care | Yes |
Full employment at minimum wages | Employment for youth after training | Employment in manufacturing and tourism; and other services | Gainful employment at minimum wages |
Cover for crop loss | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Access of farmers to formal credit | SHG-bank linkage | Yes | Yes |
Good market price for crops | No
| National Agriculture market | Yes |
Higher fares per kilometre for autos | No | No | No |
Gender-specific |
|
|
|
Clean sanitation and menstrual hygiene | Sanitation, but not menstrual hygiene | Sanitation, but not menstrual hygiene | No |
Secure land tenure for women | Yes-in particular for single women | No mention | Prevent land-grab |
Safe transport | Exclusive 24 hour transport facility | No | No |
Safe education institutions | No | No | No |
Closure of liquour shops | No | No | No |
Government performance of dowry free marriages | No | No | No |
Combatting violence against women | One stop crisis center, sensitisation of police etc. | Implementation of law, rehabilitation of survivors of rape, women friendly police stations etc | 24 hour crisis centers, fast track court, services to survivors |
Source:
Aam Aadmi Party, 2014, Bharatiya Janata Party, 2014, Indian National Congress, 2014
Source:
Aam Aadmi Party, 2014, Aam Aadmi Party: National Manifesto - 2014 [PDF format]
Bharatiya Janata Party, 2014, Ek Bharat - Shreshtha Bharat, BJP Election Manifesto 2014 [PDF format]
Indian National Congress, 2014, Your Voice: Our Pledge, Lok Sabha Elections, 2014, Manifesto [PDF format]
Ministry of Human Resource Development, 2011, Shri Kapil Sibal Addresses 58th Meeting of CABE [Central Advisory Board of Education]; Proposes Extension of RTE [Right to Education] up to Secondary Level Moots Bill to Control Malpractices in School Education, Press Information Bureau, 7th June, 2011-June, 2011
- Log in to post comments