As BJP releases its manifesto for 2019 elections today, status of Modi’s 2014 promises

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to release its manifesto for 2019 Lok Sabha elections on Monday. Some new promises will be made and a status report of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s development works will be presented before the public. Given the fact that the BJP’s campaign this year is centered around nationalism and Hinduism, issues such as national security and construction of Ram Temple are likely to be the highlights of the party’s 2019 election manifesto.

Before all the media houses start buzzing with PM Modi’s new promises, here is the status report on his 2014 promises:

Promise: 33 per cent reservation for women through a constitutional amendment.

Status: The promise still remains a distant dream even after the Congress president Rahul Gandhi announced unconditional support in Parliament.

Promise: In 2014, black money was a big issue and Narendra Modi had promised to bring back all the unaccounted money stashed in foreign banks in just 100 days.

Status: The promise remains fulfilled. Although the BJP announced demonetisation in 2016 to end the black money in 50 days, the move did very little to address the issue.

Promise: Employment was also one of the biggest issues of 2014 elections and Narendra Modi had promised to provide 1 crore jobs every year if his party comes to power. People trusted him with massive mandate and below is the status report of his promise on jobs:

Status: One of the biggest failure of the Narendra Modi government. Unemployment rose to the highest since last 45 years, according to a National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) report withheld by the government.

Promise: The BJP had promised to build a number of smart cities across the country. Time to time, we saw the Modi government releasing a list of cities it has selected to implement the project. But has Modi delivered on this promise?

Status: We all know the answer as it is visible to all. Our cities are by and large same as they were in 2014. No one from the BJP is talking about the promise in their 2019 election campaign. Most of the funds announced for the project were not spent.

Promise: Construction of a grand Ram Temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya. This was again one of the biggest election issue in 2014. The saffron party was given an unprecedented mandate by the people of Uttar Pradesh as many Hindus believed that Modi will do what no one else could do. He will construct a Ram Temple – a religious issue close to the hearts of many Hindus in Uttar Pradesh.

Status: Not built, promise still remains unfulfilled.