Will reverse damage from last 10 years, says Chidambaram on Congress' manifesto

The Congress released its manifesto on Friday for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, with particular focus on welfare measures for the youth, women, farmers, labourers and the downtrodden.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge unveiled the "NYAY Patra" in the presence of former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

Speaking at the event, the chair of Congress' manifesto committee P Chidambaram said the document suggests bold measures "to reverse the damage from the last 5-10 years."

"BJP government is a govt of the rich, by the rich, and for the rich. This government is driven only by the interest of (top) 1 percent of the country. But we have to look at the bottom 50 percent," Chidambaram said.

The former finance Minister promised, "If a Congress-led government comes to power in 2024, we will lift 24 crore people out of poverty in the next 10 years."

Among congress' poll promises are the right to employment and skills training for the youth, reservation and monetary support for women, loan waivers and an MSP guarantee for the farmers, health benefits and higher wages for labourers, and a caste census and removal of the 50% reservation cap to ensure equal rights for the downtrodden.