People’s Manifesto: Over 85 movements unite for a just, equitable, and sustainable India

Vikalp Sangam’s document offers an alternative to existing models and calls for radical social change beyond the 2024 general election.

The People’s Manifesto, which was released at a press conference in New Delhi recently, rejects current trends such as massive industrialisation, infrastructure growth, and the commodification of nature. | Photo Credit: Vikalp Sangam

In a collaborative effort to address the pressing challenges faced by the country today, more than 85 movements and organisations, under the banner of the Vikalp Sangam General Assembly, have revealed the “People’s Manifesto for a Just, Equitable, and Sustainable India 2024”, a comprehensive document that delineates a vision for a society that prioritises well-being, inclusivity, and environmental sustainability.

The Vikalp Sangam process functions as a platform, uniting diverse groups and individuals committed to challenging the existing model of development and its underlying structures of inequality. The manifesto, which was released at a press conference in New Delhi recently, rejects current trends such as massive industrialisation, infrastructure growth, and the commodification of nature, calling for an alternative approach grounded in humane, nature-friendly, and equitable principles.

Looking beyond 2024

K.J. Joy, a member of the Vikalp Sangam General Assembly and a member of its Facilitation Team, explained that the motivation for coming up with this manifesto was the 2024 general election. “We hope some political parties will incorporate/ engage with issues/demands/perspectives put forward in the manifesto. We need a governance system in the country that provides space for what Vikalp Sangam stands for, which is reflected in the manifesto,” he said. “In other words, we need a governance system that is democratic, secular, that believes in social justice and equity, sustainability, diversity, and dialogue.”

K.J. Joy, a member of the Vikalp Sangam General Assembly, said that the “People’s Manifesto” goes beyond the 2024 election and talks of an agenda for a radical social change or transformation that aims at systemic change and not merely a regime change. | Photo Credit: By Special Arrangement

According to Joy, the manifesto also goes beyond the 2024 election and talks of an agenda for a radical social change or transformation that aims at systemic change and not merely a regime change. It articulates key commitments for the well-being of all citizens, highlighting the importance of materially, culturally, ethically, and spiritually fulfilling lives and livelihoods. It also advocates for meaningful avenues for direct participation in decision-making through forms of direct democracy and condemns all forms of discrimination based on gender, caste, class, ethnicity, religion, ability, sexual orientation, and other features.

Furthermore, the People’s Manifesto emphasises the need to respect the diversity and pluralism of cultures, knowledge, faiths, and ecological conditions crucial for all life. As a civil society initiative, the signatories commit to actively work towards achieving such a society while ensuring accountability and transparency.

Renewed commitment to constitutional values

The document says that given the many crises facing India, the manifesto can serve as a renewed commitment to the values enshrined in the Constitution of India, advocating for a meaningful, democratic, and dignified society. It points to growing social conflicts, ethnic and religious tensions, ecological collapse, and instances of violence condoned or encouraged by state institutions.

Since the issuance of a People’s Manifesto in 2019, the crises have intensified, with incidents such as the centralisation of rule in regions such as Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, ecological disasters like the sinking of Joshimath, and instances of religious or ethnic conflicts and sexual violence.

The People’s Manifesto urges a comprehensive commitment at the heart of all decision-making and actions, including public planning. To address the multiple crises facing India, the manifesto calls for urgent short-term and long-term steps in every sector of society. It emphasises prioritising government plans, budgets, and policies for the most vulnerable sections of society, tackling economic inequalities, programmes to sustaining diversity and harmony, democratising decision-making, comprehensive policies and laws for accountability and transparency, and prioritising public support for basic needs like health, sanitation, housing, and education.

It advocates for promoting traditional livelihoods and occupations, capping on salaries and significant reduction in economic inequality, promoting harmony among diverse communities, and prioritising public support to all basic needs.

Advocating for transformative measures

The manifesto emphasises the need for establishing the ecological limits of the country, respecting ecological limits, and giving highest priority to maintaining the integrity and sustenance of natural ecosystems and biodiversity. It also details actions for society, culture and peace, democracy, food, water, energy, health and hygiene, settlements, transportation and mobility, learning, education, and knowledge. The manifesto advocates for transformative measures in each of these sectors to achieve a just, equitable, and sustainable society.

The organisers of Vikalp Sangam hope that as India grapples with an array of challenges, the People’s Manifesto will emerge as a beacon of hope, uniting diverse movements in a shared vision for a just, equitable, and sustainable future.

The organisers of Vikalp Sangam hope that as India grapples with an array of challenges, the People’s Manifesto will emerge as a beacon of hope, uniting diverse movements in a shared vision for a just, equitable, and sustainable future. The coming together of over 85 organisations reflects a collective determination to shape India’s destiny in a manner that prioritises the well-being of its citizens and the preservation of its natural environment.

Responding to criticism that such measures are purely in the realm of “thinking” or “the intellectual” and may not benefit the greater common good, K.J. Joy asserted, “This is not a mere intellectual exercise. Of course, it has an intellectual or thinking angle to it. Alternative ideas are also important as they can give new dreams or new imaginations of a different future.”

“We need to get out of the cynicism that is being created around new ideas and thoughts,” he added.