The Hindu : National : Congress prepares action programme

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Tuesday, Sep 07, 2004

National

National

Congress prepares action programme

By K.V. Prasad

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 6. In an attempt to give a concrete shape to the agenda outlined by its president, Sonia Gandhi, the Congress today prepared a nine-point action programme. Setting up a task force on naxalite violence in tribal regions, associating panchayats with the party and crafting a new role for frontal organisations were some of the measures decided upon.

The programme, evolved from the points stressed by Ms. Gandhi during her presidential address at the August 21 meeting of the All-India Congress Committee here, aimed at making the organisation as the pivot in taking policy initiatives on various issues, party sources said.

After the debacle in the elections to the Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Karnataka Assemblies, the party realised the need to generate, conceive and implement programmes at the political level rather than leave it to the administration or bureaucrats, the sources said.

For instance, the party would soon set up the task force consisting of former Chief Ministers and leaders from Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa to study the naxalite problem in tribal regions. The attempt was to draw on the leaders' experience in seeking a political response to the problem.

Foot soldiers

The party also decided to enlist the services of some 15 lakh members in the local bodies who are either representing the Congress or had been elected with party support to form the Rajiv Gandhi Panchayati Raj Sanghathan. This would be aimed at training and mobilising the elected representatives in panchayats and nagar palikas as the foot soldiers for party work.

With Ms. Gandhi laying stress on an activity-based role for the frontal organisation,the party plans to prepare a campaign for effective implementation of social legislation relating to women's rights, child welfare, and on issues such as dowry, violence against women, atrocities on weaker sections, child marriage and female foeticide.

INTUC revival

The party would involve its members and frontal organisations in propagating the Right to Information campaign and reactivate the Indian National Trade Union Congress to address social security concerns of 93 per cent of labour working in the unorganised and informal sectors.

Simultaneously, padayatras and mass contact programmes would be launched to highlight the concerns of farmers, workers, weavers and other weaker sections in States where the Congress was in the Opposition.

Environment

A sustained "Swach Vatavaran Abhiyaan" (clean environment campaign) in which every worker would undertake specific tasks in villages, towns and cities would be launched.

Enforcement of code of ethics and austerity circulated by Ms. Gandhi to all its Chief Ministers and Pradesh Congress Committees and adoption of norms of public conduct that stood out for simplicity and integrity would be another area receiving attention. While winding up the last AICC meeting Ms. Gandhi had noted with regret that her circular appeared to have been ignored by party workers.

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