Congress manifesto to be released tomorrow

New Delhi: With 'aam aadmi' continuing to be its watchword, Congress is expected to announce a series of promises for the common man in its manifesto to be released on Tuesday by party chief Sonia Gandhi.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would be by her side as the party reveals its roadmap for the future.

The document is expected to contain a number of steps to help the youth at a time when there is growing concern over joblessness due to the global meltdown.

Incidentally, India has the largest number of youth population and crores of young voters would be exercising their franchise for the first time in the elections and the Congress is assiduously trying to woo them, making Rahul Gandhi its brand ambassador.

An employment guarantee scheme on the lines of the NREGA for urban areas is being talked of in party circles coupled with plans for a better future for the fair sex.

The Congress-led UPA has always boasted of the NREGA and the Right to Information Act as its milestones and the party is expected to utilise the opportunity to widen its reach to the common man.

At a time when fears of deflation in the economy are being raised, the Congress is expected to come out with measures to boost up demand in various sectors and to concentrate on labour intensive industries.

A meeting of the Congress Working Committee will be held on Tuesday morning to put its stamp on the manifesto before being formally released by Gandhi and Singh.

The Manifesto committee is headed by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and includes senior leaders like Arjun Singh and M Veerappa Moily.

Last time after the Congress emerged as the single largest party, it prepared the Common Minimum Programme with other parties which was approved by the Left parties, which extended outside support to the Government.

Sonia Gandhi, who launched the party campaign in Davangere on Monday, would undertake a "vigorous" programme to reach out to the people addressing two to three meetings daily. Campaign tours of the Prime Minister who recently underwent cardiac bypass surgery, are also being finalised envisaging one to two meetings during day-long tours.