The Hindu : New Delhi News : Delhi Congress panel meets today

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New Delhi

Delhi Congress panel meets today

Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

NEW DELHI: A variety of issues like the need to inform the public about the policy and legislative decisions taken by the Delhi Government and the Union Government for the welfare of the citizens are likely to be discussed at a meeting of the Congress Coordination Committee for Delhi convened by the party general secretary Ashok Gehlot here on Thursday.

This would be the first such meeting to be held after J. P. Agarwal took over as president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee last year.

When his predecessor Ram Babu Sharma was in charge, such meetings used to be stormy affairs and provided the State party leadership and the Delhi Government an opportunity to bring their differences before the AICC leaders.

However, as a Delhi Minister said, this time the meeting is largely expected to provide a forum for discussion on how the party should fight the Assembly elections later this year unitedly.

The Delhi Government, which brought up various social welfare schemes in its Budget and has announced lower power tariffs and more subsidised rations for the poor, would like the party unit to organise public meetings across the city to publicise these measures. On the other hand, the DPCC leaders have been holding the view that not enough government support has been coming the party’s way.

Earlier meets cancelled

Coordination Committee meetings planned in January and February between DPCC office-bearers and Delhi Cabinet had to be cancelled for lack of interest on the part of the ministers to face the elected party representatives.

Besides Ms. Dikshit, the Delhi Government would also be represented at the meeting by Finance Minister A. K. Walia and Development Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan. The others who form part of the Coordination Committee are Union Minister of State for Urban Development Ajay Maken, party general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi, Mr. Agarwal, and Minto Road MLA Tajdar Babbar.

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