After Rahul’s directive, Cong starts picking more women candidates Cong creating campaign based on lies: Javadekar
POLL READY All India Mahila Congress asks state unit chief to give women candidates’ list
Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s directive to increase women’s participation in electoral politics, the central and state party units have geared up to identify candidates with winning chances in Rajasthan assembly polls due by the yearend, a senior leader said.
In the 2008 assembly polls, the state Congress had fielded 23 women candidates, of whom 13 won. In 2013, only one out of 24 women candidates could win. Rajasthan has 200 assembly seats.
Addressing a rally at Sagwara town in Dungarpur district on September 20, Gandhi said, “I want to see more women candidates in elections, or else will not approve the list. Nothing can happen in India without them; they run the country.”
After Gandhi’s directive, the All India Mahila Congress asked the state unit president to submit a list of women candidates who stand a chance to win elections. The state women’s Congress has submitted a list of 23 candidates, the senior party leader said on condition of anonymity.
“The party high command aims to develop a new leadership; in the next assembly elections, the Congress is planning to field women and youth candidates on seats lost thrice or twice in a row,” he said.
Congress candidates had lost twice in a row in about 65 assem-
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bly constituencies in the 2008 and 2013 elections. The party though won 96 seats in 2008 and formed the government in the state. If the 2003 assembly election results are considered, the party lost twice in a row in about 30 seats.
“The party will field over 50 new faces this time, replacing those who have not visited or rarely gone to their constituencies. The new faces would be from women and youth, that too who are prominent, energetic, have a history of social work and have worked on party lines,” said the senior leader involved in finalising candidate lists.
: Union Minister Prakash Javadekar Monday termed Rahul Gandhi as a “directionless leader” and said the Congress chief and his party have no hope to return to power therefore they were trying to create a campaign on the basis of lies and speculations against the BJP government.
The senior BJP leader said Gandhi has no facts and evidence against government over the Rafale deal.
The Congress has been attacking the Narendra Modi government over the Rafale issue, alleging corruption in the deal.
“Rahul Gandhi is a directionless leader. Only allegations cannot make someone corrupt. Gandhi has no facts or evidence (to support his allegations against the government),” Javadekar told reporters here on Monday.
The HRD minister said there were evidences and proof when there were allegations (against former UPA government) over the coal scam.
“They were voted out in 2014. There is no chance of their return to power and therefore they have made a new strategy. They cannot level allegation of corruption on the government.
“In the last four and a half year, there was not a single allegation
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of corruption against any minister or on the government so they are just leveling false allegations,” he said, while pointing out towards the Rafale issue.
“Rafale is a government to government contract and there was no ‘Dalal’ (broker) in the deal and this is the pain of the Congress because they were dependent on ‘Dalals’.
“In defence deals, there used to be dalals and this time there is no Dalal in the contract,” he said.
“No campaign can be created on the basis of lies. They have no issue so they, on the basis of lies and speculations, are creating propaganda,” he said.
He said that people understand well and public will the party reply.