New Delhi: Pushing for agitational politics against the ongoing economic slowdown, Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi urged party leaders to hit the streets and not just use Twitter.
“It is not enough to be active and aggressive on social media even though that too is needed and we need to do that better. Far more important is to go to the people directly,” said a Congress statement, quoting Gandhi.
“She said that Congress needs to talk about issues that bother the common man,” a source in the party told ThePrint. “Just tweeting about things won’t do.”
Gandhi was speaking at a meeting of the party’s general secretaries, Congress Legislative Party leaders, state Congress chiefs and chief ministers held at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi Thursday.
Barring Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, all other CMs were present. She urged the chief ministers to make their states models of “sensitive and responsive governance, accountable and transparent administration” or the party would lose the faith of the people. Gandhi is likely to meet the chief ministers again Friday.
“We are meeting at a time when there is a prolonged economic slump, when job losses are mounting by the day, when the confidence of the investors is getting shakier by the day, when the government appears more and more clueless and insensitive by the day,” the statement said.
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‘Fight on the streets, fight in villages, towns and cities’
Hitting out at the BJP-led government’s “vendetta politics”, Gandhi said: “Those who speak out against the ruling establishment are being threatened and intimidated. Each and every institution is being diabolically subverted. The voices of dissent are being silenced.”
Gandhi asked the Congress leaders to take their fight to the streets as elections in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Haryana inch closer.
The party has been battling defections and factionalism since its humiliating defeat in the Lok Sabha elections in May.
Acknowledging that the situation is “challenging”, Gandhi said that if the leaders keep party interests above everything else, the Congress can regain its lost ground.
“We must stand up fearlessly to fight on the streets, fight in villages, towns and cities. We must have a concrete agitational agenda on issues of pressing concern to the people — whether they be economic or social,” she said.
The party is planning to hold a Pradesh Congress Committee delegates convention between 25-30 September to brief the state Congress chiefs about the slowdown. The party will then organise a massive agitation from 15-25 October, targeting the Narendra Modi government.
“This is the time when it will become clear as to who are those steadfastly devoted to the Congress as an ideology (as a vehicle) for strengthening the nation and those who look to the Congress only as an opportunity for self-advancement,” said Gandhi.
“Some of our party colleagues have left us in recent times. All I can say is that they have revealed their opportunistic character,” she added.
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1. Smt Sonia Gandhi, even though she is an ‘interim’ President of the Congress party, question in mind of many citizen voters like me who wish the Congress to survive and grow is this: who can rebuild the Congress party? 2. Hopefully, Congress party will have a new ‘regular’ President in near future. 3. I think the Congress leaders have failed to understand why RSS has been able to survive and grow during last 90 years. Who in the Congress party can make efforts to win back the huge number of citizen-voters who have moved to BJP and have reposed faith in PM Narendra Modi? Many a citizen-voter like me wishes that the Congress party unshackles itself from the Indira Gandhi dynasty. 4. I think Congress party would be able to survive and grow only if the party decides to exclude all the three-Smt Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi & Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra-from the Congress Working Committee (CWC) as and when a new CWC is formed. It is quite natural that senior Congress leaders who owe allegiance to the Gandhi family may not be able to insist on exclusion of the Gandhi family from CWC but it is a very important step which needs to be taken in interest of the party. 5. In this context, I wish to mention two occasions when the Congress made unpardonable errors. First, is imposition of emergency in 1975. Second is NOT accepting that the Union government in power in Delhi miserably failed to protect innocent Sikhs, who were killed in riots after assassination of Smt Indira Gandhi on 31st October, 1984. I say that if there was a precedent of firm handling of 1984 riots, 2002 riots in Gujarat would have then been brought under control far more quickly and resolutely. But as always the Congress double-speak is evident in this case too. 6. Let me say this: Congress party cannot win back citizen-voters’ confidence by talking about imaginary failures of BJP.
Queen has ordered the menials to take to the streets, while she and the Prince will remain in AC comfort.
Encouraging law and order situation on the streets after loosing elections only three months back.
It is not the duty of the Opposition to criticise or find fault alone. The Congress has ruled India for 55 out of the last 72 years. Ten under the leadership of Dr Singh. He has suggested a six point plan for the revival of the economy. Not a man of hype or hyperbole, he has used the word ” Crisis ” to define its present state. Most worryingly, he envisions it will take three to four years to restore it to health. That is the hallmark of a neurosurgeon : no quick fixes.
Some Rajya Sabha types, whose natural constituency is the TV studio, have flourished, across adistrations. They will not bring the Congress party back into contention. The party needs to be seen and heard on the ground, close to the people. No better, more salient issue that will resonate with all sections than the economic crisis. In the few states that the party is in power, it needs to demonstrate a commitment to good governance, women’s safety being an important issue.