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Congress conclave : Party to play a more assertive role |
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A two-day conclave of Congress Chief Ministers in Chandigarh witnessed a call by party president Sonia Gandhi to party leaders to leave their distinctive imprint on coalition governments. Speaking at the conclave on Friday, October 7, she said the people must be made aware of the Congress contribution to the common minimum programme.
“A coalition arrangement makes it all the more necessary to carve out a niche for ourselves so that people know what the unique contribution of the Congress is. We have to make people aware that the National Common Minimum Programme, mostly reflects Congress’s own manifesto for the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. And the achievements of the CMP are, therefore, naturally in fulfillment of our objectives”, Sonia Gandhi said.
The remarks came a day after she wrote to the Left leaders requesting them to return to the Coordination Committee. The Left has stayed away from the committee since June charging the Congress-led UPA Government with violating the CMP on disinvestment in Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited.” In her 30-minute speech, she reminded the Chief Ministers of the need to associate the party at all levels with policy formulation, monitoring and implementation, and called for regular interaction between those in Government and the party. Everyone should rise above factionalism and “subjugate personal ambitions” in the larger cause of the party and the people, expectedly the “deprived,” the disadvantaged and the discriminated.
The Prime Minister, in his address to the conclave on Saturday, said that the party must act as an interface between the Government and the people. It should explain the party policies and alert the Government to its mistakes and faults. Dr. Manmohan Singh claimed that his government has implemented nearly three-fourths of the Common Minimum Programme commitments. He emphasised the Congress contribution in bringing the nation back to the politics of moderation and the economics of equity and development.
Sonia Gandhi asks Left to return to Coordination Committee
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