‘Party interests must come before personal ambitions’
NEW DELHI: In a candid message to top Congress leaders, party president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday said strengthening the organisation must override “personal ambitions” and emphasised the need for discipline and unity for both collective and individual success.
Chairing a meeting of party leaders to evolve a strategy for assembly elections in five states early next year, she said there is “lack of clarity and cohesion” on policy issues even among state leaders and expressed concern that the messages on key issues were not percolating down to the grassroot cadres.
Former party chief Rahul Gandhi along with Congress general secretaries, in-charges and pradesh presidents attended the meeting that also comes amid growing factionalism within the party’s state units.
Gandhi said the party also wishes to focus on training its cadres to counter BJP’s “false propaganda” and will work out modalities for the upcoming training programmes.
“The fight to defend our democracy, our constitution and the Congress party’s ideology begins with being fully prepared to identify and counter false propaganda. We must fight the diabolical campaign of BJP/ RSS ideologically. We must do so with conviction and expose their lies before the people if we are to win this battle,” she said.
The meeting to chalk out a strategy ahead of assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipur also comes ahead of the party’s new membership drive starting November 1. “I would like to re-emphasise the paramount need for discipline and unity. What should matter to each and every one of us is the strengthening of the organisation. This must override personal ambitions. In this lies both collective and individual success,” Sonia Gandhi said in her opening remarks.
Stressing on training programmes for party workers, the Congress chief said it should be taken up on priority.
Noting that new members are the “lifeblood” of any political movement, she said the young men and women across the nation seek a movement to give voice to their aspirations and it is the Congress’ duty to provide them with a platform.
She also called upon party leaders to go house to house to enrol members in a transparent fashion. Noting that AICC releases important and detailed statements almost every day on issues facing the nation, Sonia Gandhi said, “but it is my experience that they do not percolate down to our grass root cadres at the block and district level”. “There are policy issues on which I find a lack of clarity and cohesion even amongst our state-level leaders”, she added.
Attacking the Modi government, she said it has sought to erode our institutions so it may evade accountability and has sought to undermine the core values of our constitution.
Gandhi said the party’s history bears witness to the fact that if an organisation is to succeed against injustice and inequality, if it is to effectively champion the rights of the marginalised, it must become a widespread agitation down to the grassroots.
DEHRADUN: Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has appealed to industrial houses, voluntary organisations and others to contribute to the relief work in rain-hit areas of the state.
At the moment, the state government is using its own resources to help the affected people but more economic resources are needed to pull them out of the crisis, he said.
“I request everyone to offer as much help as they can. It will help us overcome the crisis,” the chief minister said.
Dhami also expressed his gratitude towards the Centre and Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat governments, besides several institutions and organisations, who have offered their help in dealing with the crisis.
According to officials, 77 people were killed in the disaster, while 33 others were injured. Fourteen people are still missing.
DEHRADUN: With the rescue and relief works still continuing after heavy rains and landslides battered Uttarakhand from October 17-19, disaster management is likely to be a major issue in the state assembly elections due early next year.
The opposition Congress has declared to include disaster management in its poll manifesto, alleging that the BJP-led state government has failed in managing the recent disaster despite warning by the meteorological department.
“We will include the disaster management issue in our manifesto for the upcoming state assembly elections. We promise to improve the parameters of relief and rescue work in any disaster that hits the state,” said Harish Rawat, Congress national general secretary and president of the state election campaign committee.
“The government has failed in disaster management in the recent floods which affected half of the state killing over 70 people. It hurts to see that there has been no effort by the government to improve the rescue and relief works on the ground,” he said.
Attacking the BJP government, Rawat said, “The chief minister and his other cabinet ministers have visited only those affected areas that are accessible by chopper. We are giving them time till October 27 to improve the rescue and relief works. If the government fails to do so, then we will hold statewide protests from October 28.”
The BJP, however, accused the Congress of “doing politics” on the disaster.
“Lives of many people were saved due to timely warning and exact information about the disaster. The government has also been carrying out rescue and relief works on a war footing, but the Congress, instead of helping in it, is busy doing politics,” BJP state president Madan Kaushik said.
Refuting Rawat’s allegations on rescue and relief works, Kaushik said, “The Central government under PM Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah provided all possible help
THE BJP ACCUSED THE CONGRESS OF “DOING POLITICS” ON THE DISASTER
in relief works. Also, CM Pushkar Singh Dhami was in constant touch with officials of the affected districts; he visited the affected areas and met the victims.”
He added, “When the Congress should have been among the victims to heal their wounds, they have chosen the time to do politics.”
Experts welcomed the Congress move to include disaster management in its poll manifesto.
“Being a disaster-prone state, disaster management has to be given significance in the agenda of political parties,” said MM Semwal, political analyst and professor of political science in Garhwal Central University, Srinagar.
“Whenever a disaster happens in our state, it affects tourism which contributes about 25-30% of state’s GDP. Steps should be taken to minimise the loss of property and lives in any disaster. The announcement of the Congress to include it in their manifesto is a welcome step,” said Semwal.
“BJP would be under pressure after the Congress move to take a similar step considering the upcoming elections,” he said.
Another political analyst, SMA Kazmi, said disaster management should be given prominence in the politics of the state, questioning the lack of political will for the same.
“Big statements have been given by the parties in the past on disaster management, especially in the hills where it is a major issue. But there is a lack of political will for the same with no government taking appropriate steps. This disaster also highlighted this fact,” said Kazmi.