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National

Rahul’s appeal to youth

Manas Dasgupta

Completes Gujarat tour; Oversees membership drive in Youth Congress

— Photo: PTI

AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi being greeted by supporters at Naroda near Ahmedabad on Monday.

AHMEDABAD: All-India Congress Committee general secretary and youth leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday completed his whirlwind tour of Gujarat in three rounds to oversee the membership drive in the Youth Congress.

Mr. Gandhi, who arrived in the Kutch on Sunday, began his day on Monday with a ‘darshan’ of Amba Mata at the temple town of Ambaji in Banaskantha district, from where he went to Himmatnagar, the district headquarters of Sabarkantha; then the capital city of Gandhinagar; and concluded his trip in Ahmedabad.

At all the places, Mr. Gandhi visited Youth Congress membership booths and exchanged views with the party workers, besides having closed-door meetings with young intellectuals but refrained from addressing any public meeting.

At Himmatnagar, where he met some young farmers, and in Ahmedabad, where he had an interaction with the young intellectuals, he gave a call to the youth to join the Congress in large numbers to participate in the nation-building process.

Referring to the election process adopted in the Youth Congress, which had already been completed in Punjab with Gujarat and Tamil Nadu next in the schedule, Mr. Gandhi said the door had been opened for all and only personal competence rather than political clout would matter in coming up the ladder.

He disagreed with a questioner that today’s youth, particularly the professional intellectuals, had no time to devote for politics and pointed out that technocrats like Sam Pitroda had contributed much in the nation-building without being directly involved in the day-to-day politics. “Use your knowledge for the betterment of the people and that can be your contribution for the country,” he said.

Mr. Gandhi made it clear that people with a criminal background and fundamentalists would not be given an entry in the Youth Congress. “Otherwise, all are welcome in the party,” he said. He also did not think that people in the Youth Congress would later feel stifled when they grew up to move to the main Congress.

He said he was confident that those getting elected in the Youth Congress now would also ensure similar election process in the mother party for a total democratisation of the organisation in the coming years.

Mr. Gandhi also had a free, but entirely off the record exchange of views with senior media professionals here. He frankly answered questions on the Youth Congress and the Congress set-up and other issues but refused to be dragged into any political controversies or joining issues with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who had called him a “fish in an aquarium,” comparing him with “big BJP fishes in the ocean.” His only candid reply was: “My name is Rahul and will remain Rahul, call me by any name.”

Mr. Gandhi visited Ahmedabad, Nadiad and some areas in central Gujarat during his first round of visit earlier this month, while in his second round he visited most parts of Saurashtra and south Gujarat regions last week.

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