Rahul chairs CWC meet, plans to target BJP over graft bills

THE ISSUE OF GRAFT HAS HIT THE CONGRESS HARD IN THE RECENT ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS AND THE PARTY IS KEEN TO CORRECT THE PERCEPTION THAT IT IS ‘SOFT ON CORRUPTION’

NEW DELHI: The Congress will aggressively target the BJP for its non-cooperation in the passage of anti-corruption bills in Parliament in its campaign in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls, scheduled to be held in April-May 2014.

As part of the preparations, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday held an informal interaction with members of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party’s highest decision making body, on the manifesto, strategy and issues to be highlighted during the poll campaign.

The anti-graft bills were part of Rahul’s agenda to revive the party’s fortunes ahead of the general elections.

The issue of graft has hit the Congress hard in recent assembly elections and the party is keen to correct the perception that it is “soft on corruption”.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were not present at the meeting, which was for the first time chaired by Rahul.

After a two-hour long meeting, party general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said that Rahul sought suggestions from party leaders over the manifesto and other politically relevant issues.

“The manifesto committee, headed by AK Antony, will consider these suggestions,” he said, adding Rahul wanted to know from party leaders their outlook, views and ideas on the battle ahead.

The meeting came a day after Rahul held interaction with young party leaders to draw the contours of the 2014 election manifesto.

Rahul had emphasised the need for aggressively propagating the achievements of the UPA government and taking them to the people across the country.

The Congress is at present in the process of formulating its manifesto through an elaborate exercise to get the maximum possible feedback and suggestions to make it a comprehensive document that will have the voice of the masses.

Gandhi is likely to hold interaction with farmers at a meeting near Sonipat in Haryana on Sunday as part of the party’s exercise to get direct feedback from various stakeholders in the manifesto-formulating exercise.