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Tips on winning polls exchanged at crucial Congress convention

Staff Reporter

New website of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee inaugurated

Photo: R. V. Moorthy

LOOKING AHEAD: Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit flanked by (left to right) Congress leaders Motilal Vora, J. P. Agarwal, Ashok Gehlot and Ajay Maken at the DPCC convention in New Delhi on Wednesday.

NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leaders gave tips on how the party should prepare itself for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections at a convention organised by the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee here on Wednesday. All-India Congress Committee general secretary in charge of Delhi affairs Ashok Gehlot also inaugurated the new DPCC website ( www.dpcc.co.in ) at the convention.

The “Vichar Goshti” was convened by the party to deliberate on the strategy to be adopted for the forthcoming polls. A week ago, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had called the first meeting of the party’s coordination committee in a long time and had directed all the leaders to start preparation for the elections.

Coming against the backdrop of developments around the nuclear issue, the convention that lasted three hours saw national leaders talk on issues ranging from rising inflation to spiralling crude prices and the politics of coalition. By and large, almost all the speakers came up with views on how the party should develop a strategy for informing the people about the work done by the UPA Government at the Centre as also the Delhi Government. They also claimed that the performance of the Congress had been much better than that of arch-rival BJP in almost all spheres.

AICC treasurer Motilal Vohra praised the launch of the DPCC website and stated that other PCCs should emulate the example to reach out to more and more people. The website has been designed by former municipal councillor Sanjay Puri.

Mr. Gehlot said it was essential for the Congress workers to visit every lane and street of Delhi to understand the problems of the people and try and solve them.

Terming as tremendous the development works carried out by the Delhi Government in the past ten years, he said the party should make people aware about them by drawing comparisons with other States.

AICC general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi cautioned the participants about the politics of coalition and exhorted the party workers to go all out for a victory on their own in Delhi.

He said it would not be difficult to counter the “directionless and issueless BJP” during the polls and expressed confidence that the Congress would romp home for a record third term on the strength of its achievements and administration.

Union Minister of State Sri Prakash Jaiswal said under Congress rule the country’s internal security had improved tremendously. He charged that it was during BJP rule that terrorist attacks were mounted on Parliament House and Red Fort and other important places of the country and a Union Minister had gone to Kandahar in Afghanistan to release terrorists for securing release of hostages. He accused the BJP of doublespeak on most issues.

Union Minister of State Jyotiraditya Scindia spoke about inflation and rising global crude prices. He said the Congress should not be on the defensive as prices of commodities had increased globally. “Rather what needs to be told to the people is that there was 10 per cent inflation during NDA rule even when crude was selling at 40 dollars a barrel. With crude now at 142 dollars a barrel,” he said, “people would understand why inflation has risen.”

DPCC president J. P. Agarwal claimed that the Congress was on a sound footing in Delhi.

He said the party would inform people how the Delhi Government had worked hard for them and brought the city on the world map through path-breaking initiatives.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit charged that the BJP had neglected the Capital’s development when it was in power for five years in Delhi. She said the party had constantly reshuffled Chief Ministers and only played internal politics during its term.

“It still has no clear-cut policy regarding the development of Delhi,” she said.

The convention was attended by all Delhi Ministers, MPs, MLAs, Councillors, Cantonment Board members, NDMC members, DPCC office-bearers, heads of frontal organisations like Mahila Congress, Youth Congress, Sewa Dal, minority departments, NSUI, heads of the cells and departments and AICC office-bearers from Delhi.

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