Expose ‘anti-people’ policies of govt: Rahul to state unit chiefs

NEW DELHI: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday assured state chiefs that they will have a free hand in ticket distribution for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections but asked them to ensure that only deserving and winnable candidates are fielded. The assurance came at a meeting Gandhi had with state chiefs and legislature party leaders at the Congress ‘war room’ at Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Road in Delhi.

The Congress president also asked the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chiefs that they should immediately finalise the alliances wherever necessary especially in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Bihar and Tamil Nadu. However, West Bengal leaders insisted that the party should have no tie-up with the Trinamool Congress. Gandhi maintained that state chiefs will have a major say in alliances.

Odisha Congress chief Niranjan Patnaik urged Gandhi to give a free hand to state chiefs to select the candidates for upcoming polls. Gandhi responded by saying that he always believed in empowering state leaders in organisational matters, including ticket distribution. He said the candidate selection process should be more inclusive and participation of maximum party stakeholders and workers should be ensured. Gandhi also instructed the leaders to complete the candidate selection process as soon as possible, according to a statement released by Congress general secretary KC Venugopal. The Congress chief asked leaders to raise the Modi government’s “dictatorial style” of functioning and “burning issues” such as farm distress, unemployment and alleged corruption in the Rafale deal in the election campaign.

Gandhi had earlier held a review meeting with general secretaries and state in-charges on February 7. According to the statement, he told state leaders to expose the “anti-farmers, antiyouth, anti-women and anti-people” policies of the Modi government. He stressed the need to highlight in the party’s campaign the “burning issues of unemployment, farmers distress, sabotage of constitutional bodies, misuse of the institutions and investigative agencies”. He said the propeople policies proposed by the Congress party such as the minimum income guarantee programme should be taken to the people across the country. The state leaders were asked to focus on state-oriented major issues and give suggestions for the party manifesto. “Today I met with our CLP Leaders & PCCChiefs from all over India to review our election preparedness & strategy in each state. We discussed a wide range of issues related to the upcoming elections. I thank all those who came to Delhi,” Gandhi tweeted after the meeting.

THE CONGRESS CHIEF ASKED LEADERS TO RAISE THE MODI GOVERNMENT’S “DICTATORIAL STYLE” OF FUNCTIONING AND “BURNING ISSUES” SUCH AS FARM DISTRESS AND UNEMPLOYMENT