By Jitendra Rath
The Indian National Congress released its manifesto for 2019 general elections on April 2. It has faced obvious disparagement from its political contender BJP, which is yet to release its own. Once the BJP releases its manifesto, it will be an interesting comparison and analysis of election promises that the two national parties are making to the people of India.
However, the Congress party’s manifesto titled “Congress will deliver” is itself an interesting piece of document that needs to be looked into and analysed on specifics. At the outset, it is a very elaborative document adding up to 50 plus pages and the party’s thought process that has gone behind is being reflected in details.
Apart from the flagship promises like minimum income support programme, loan waivers for the farmers and filling up vacancies in government, the Congress has strappingly put forth the idea of accountability in its 2019 manifesto. The document starts with a forward by the party president talking about the overall vision of the party.
In its concluding paragraph the party promises to present a report to people of India, every year on the status of implementation of the promises. However it is not something extraordinary, as coming up with report cards and similar list of achievements every year has become a usual practice for the government and ruling party in last couple of years. In this context, the Congress party’s promise stands no different.
The second part of the paragraph is imperative where the party promises to set up a social audit group that will independently assess the extent to which the promises have been fulfilled. Now this is something different from the usual line that a political party generally takes to assess its promises and work.
Generally, parties take on public relation agencies or independent observers to weigh up people’s mood and government’s performance but rarely the outcomes come to public. This promise of Congress can also be seen as a shift in its approach as there was nothing similar in party’s 2014 manifesto.
If the Congress forms the government and if the idea of social audit of the manifesto promises sees realisation, it will change the discourse, and create a scenario where both the public and political opponents would hold the Congress and its leadership to account and it will have a different impact across the political parties in India.
Social audit, transparency, grievance redresal are the important components of the accountability framework, where the government is answerable to the public in a real sense. The apparent question comes here is whether the Congress manifesto talks about this and if so in what details. A simple count of key words related to accountability presents an interesting depiction.
The words ‘accountability’ and ‘social audit’ have been mentioned six times each in the party’s 2019 manifesto. A comparison with party’s 2014 manifesto shows that these words got more frequency in the latest one. In fact, ‘social audit’ had got no space in 2014 manifesto.
It is further imperative to see where exactly the Congress promises for accountability and social audit. Apart from the areas of infrastructure, where the party promises to address the deficiencies with a combined approach of planning, technology, quality and accountability, it mentioned about brining a social accountability act, of which social audit will be a part. Further it talked about accountability to the functioning of private and public clinical establishments as per the clinical establishment act, a long standing demand of the civil society organisations and health rights activists.
In regard to social audit, though the Congress manifesto is not proposing something unspoken Earlier, it has conceded the need and importance of social audit from the governance strengthening perspective.
The Congress has promised for conducting social audits of all government welfare programmes at the local level, the findings of which would be placed before the people. Promising social audits for all government welfare programmes is definitely a bold step as it is so far only mandated under key legislations like Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act, National Food Security Act and under some of the schemes and policy document.
The Congress manifesto has specifically promised for social audits of policies and programmes for persons with disabilities, nutrition programmes including Integrated Child Development Services, Mid Day Meal programmes. Going a step ahead, the manifesto promised for social audit of the schemes at blocks and district level, especially on the outcomes of the specific programmes.
Overall, a reading of the manifesto promises of the Congress reflects that the party has acknowledged the idea and importance of social audit and accountability to people not only under government programmes but also on the promises that it is making before the elections.
It will not be an easy path for the Congress to implement such promises, if they are voted to power. However, it has certainly built up a debate.
(Rath works in the development sector and writes on social issues. He can be contacted at [email protected])
