New Delhi:

Congress on Friday said that if the Center comes to power, it will bring in a law to recognize civil unions between couples belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community after extensive consultations.

In its manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, the opposition party also said it would encourage personal law reforms but insisted that such reforms must be carried out with the participation and consent of the communities concerned.

The Congress has advocated reforms to personal laws, subject to the consent of the communities concerned, while the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has pushed for a uniform civil code.

Congress also stated that it will respect and uphold the fundamental right to practice faith and the rights of religious minorities guaranteed by Articles 15, 16, 25, 26, 28, 29 and 30 of the Constitution.

“After broad consultation, Congress will enact a law recognizing civil unions between LGBTQIA+ couples,” the declaration said.

LGBTQIA stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual. The appended “+” represents all other identities not included in the short acronym.

“We will also respect and uphold the rights of linguistic minorities guaranteed under Articles 15, 16, 29 and 30 of the Constitution,” the Congress said.

The party also pledges to encourage and help students and young people from minority communities to take advantage of growing opportunities in education, employment, business, services, sports, the arts and other areas.

“We will restore the Maulana Azad scholarship to study abroad and increase the number of scholarships,” the manifesto said.

Stating that economic empowerment of minorities is a necessary step for India to realize its full potential, Congress said it would ensure that banks provide institutional credit to minorities without discrimination.

“We will ensure that ethnic minorities have fair opportunities without discrimination in education, healthcare, public employment, public works contracts, skills development, sports and cultural activities,” the party said.

Congress said it would ensure that minorities, like every citizen of the country, have the freedom to choose clothing, food, language and personal laws.

“We will encourage personal law reform. Such reform must be carried out with the participation and consent of the communities concerned,” it said.

Congress has committed to meeting the long-standing demand to include more languages ​​in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

The manifesto, launched at the AICC headquarters on Friday, focuses on five “pillars of justice” and 25 guarantees therein, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party leader Sonia Gandhi ) and Rahul Gandhi were present.

The Lok Sabha polls are scheduled to be held in seven phases starting from April 19, and counting of votes will begin on June 4.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)