The Bharatiya Janata Party released its manifesto for Bihar on Tuesday promising a slew of sops for the upper castes, strict implementation of the ban on cow slaughter, besides steps to uplift minorities and other sections.
The manifesto was released jointly by BJP leader M Venkiah Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister S K Modi and the state party president C P Thakur in Patna.
It promised to carry forward the party's 'vision for development and mission for social justice', strengthen infrastructure and make foodgrains tax free.
Later, Modi told mediapersons that if the party won it would set up an Upper Caste Commission for suggesting measures for socio-economic uplift of the economically backward among the upper castes.
BJP would also lay special thrust on removing encroachments on Waqf properties, launch special programme for promotion of education among girls of the minority community and modernise education provided in madrasas by linking it with technical education.
Modi said while BJP differed with its ally Janata Dal-United on ensuring reservation on religious lines as the Constitution did not provide for it, there would be a common programme of governance if National Democratic Alliance returned to power.
The manifesto also proposed to tone up the security system in Bihar by ensuring computerisation of all police stations for on-line registration of cases, link most of the tolas with roads and stress rural electrification.
Modi said single window system would be introduced for issuing licences and registration, give thrust to promotion of food processing industries, review below poverty line lists to include deprived households, ensure cash transfer of grants to beneficiaries for poverty alleviation, social forest, dairy, poultry, and set up small and cottage agro-based industries.
Fast track facility would be introduced for providing employment to women, besides taking steps for setting up an university for them and increasing the number of women polytechnics.
He said special attention would be paid for introduction of drinking water and sanitation policy in Bihar in the event of the BJP returning to power.
'Ramayan Circuit' would be introduced in Bihar along the lines of the Buddhist circuit to promote tourism in the state, he added.
