NCP manifesto speaks of caste-based census, uplifting the lives of farmers, and raising the reservation ceiling above 50 per cent, among other things

NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar with senior party leaders Jayant Patil and Vandana Chavan at the release of its manifesto. (Photo Credit: Vandana Chavan/Facebook)

By  Manoj Dattatrye More

UNVEILING its “Shapatnama” instead of manifesto, the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) on Thursday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of leading the country by his “whims and fancies, putting minorities under constant threat and using government machinery as a weapon to break democratic systems and suppress political opposition”. The manifesto lays emphasis on caste-based census, uplifting the lives of farmers and raising the reservation ceiling above 50 per cent.

“Over the last decade, we have witnessed the centralisation of power and the country is being led by the whims and fancies of the Prime Minister. Minorities in the country are under constant threat and government machinery is being used as a weapon, with persistent efforts to break democratic systems and suppress political opposition,” the manifesto stated, right at the beginning.

This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here.