THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The National Congress (Indira) is gearing up for the local bodies elections. The party has convened three regional seminars to discuss its strategies for the elections from Thursday onwards.

NC(I) president K. Muraleedharan said here on Tuesday that the south zone seminar would be held in Thiruvananthapuram, the central zone seminar in Ernakulam and the north zone seminar would be held in Kozhikode. The party's mandalam presidents, block presidents, district committee office-bearers, executive committee members, district presidents, and State office-bearers of feeder organisations will attend the seminar.

Mr. Muraleedharan said that the seminars would set the tone for panchayats election, which is likely to be announced in the last week of August. The senior leader K. Karunakaran will inaugurate the south zone seminar. Party sources said that the seminars would discuss the scope of forging regional and local alliances in the elections. The NC(I) has higher stakes in the panchayats elections, the results of which could set the tone and tenure for a realignment of political forces. Mr. Muraleedharan himself has clearly stated that the NC(I) will have to ally itself with a political combination.

The leaders of the party who participated the first Independence Day celebrations since its formation sought to use the occasion to send messages about their intention.

Mr. Muraleedharan and Mr. Karunakaran dwelt at large on the traditions set by Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi and said that these were fading away under the present dispensation. Mr. Muraleedharan pointed out that the current rulers had become pawns in the hands of foreign monopolies. They had squandered the agricultural, industrial and economic progress achieved under the Congress leaders.

The current rulers had forgotten the common man while hankering after the policies of liberalisation and privatisation.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail