States

SC/ST National Seminar

Shri G. Venkat Swamy, Chairman, SC/ST Department, AICC, issued the following statement on August 23, 2002 :

The Scheduled Castes / Scheduled Tribes Department of All India Congress Committee has organised a National Seminar to discuss the "Problems and Issues Relating to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in India". The meeting will be held in the lawns of the AICC Headquarters at 24, Akbar Road, New Delhi on August 30, 2002. The Congress President, Smt. Sonia Gandhi, will address the meeting, which would be attended by office-bearers and Executives of the SC/ST Department at the State and District levels. The venue of the meeting had to be changed from Mavlankar Hall to the AICC Headquarters to accommodate the large number of delegates who are expected to attend the meeting. The meeting is expected to pass several resolutions in favour of the demands of SC/ST Communities.

Punjab

Boycott of Fernandes to Continue: Mohsina

HOSHIARPUR : The Congress will continue to boycott the Defence Minister, Mr. George Fernandes, in Parliament, the All India Congress Committee general secretary, Mrs. Mohsina Kidwai, said here on 4 August.

Justifying the decision, she said Mr. Fenandes who quit after the Tehelka expose was reinducted into the Union Cabinet, though the probe into the alleged corruption in defence deals was still on.

On the coming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, she told reporters that the polls should be held under Governor’s rule as "free and fair elections were not possible under the present regime".

She said the party would go it alone in the State. It had started preparing for the Assembly elections in 12 States she said and expressed confidence that the number of Congress-ruled States would increase.

She said that people of the country were realising that the Congress was the only party which could strengthen the unity and integrity of the country.

Appointment of Hanspal Hailed

MANSA : The appointment of Shri Harbindra Singh Hanspal as the newly-elected Punjab Pradesh Congress president was welcomed by the Congress party workers who also organised a meeting here for his welcome.

The meeting was presided over by the Punjab Congress secretary, Shri Ram Pal Dhepai. Punjab Congress special invitee Shri Gurdeep Singh, Dr. Manjeet Rana, District Press secretary Shri Sukh Darshan Darshi, ex-general secretary Shri Jatindar Kaka Bajewala, Shri Arun, Block Congress (Urban) president, Shri Vagirath Lal Danewalia, vice-president Shri Munish Balbi were present on this occasion. The leaders thanked the Congress President, Smt. Sonia Gandhi and Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amrinder Singh for appointing Shri Hanspal.

Councillor Donates One-year Salary

LUDHIANA : The Ludhiana Municipal councillor from ward-70, Shri Sushil Raju Thapar after looking at the financial crunch in the state has decided to give up his salary for one year and will just take home a token salary of Re. one. Shri Thapar has donated his one-year salary to the state treasury and has also appealed to the state ministers, MLA’s and councillors to donate one-year salary to the state treasury.

"I hope all the senior Congress leaders will cooperate and help me in this noble cause", says Shri Thapar. He said that Congress workers by their transparent and clean rule under the leadership of Smt. Sonia Gandhi will certainly win all the seats during the coming Lok Sabha elections.

Rajasthan

Awareness Camp By Sewadal Workers

DEEG : The Block Congress Sewadal workers on 3 July organised a mass contact programmes in Samai, Keda Brahman, Barauli Chauth, Korer, Kasaut, Bahaj, Aou, Mandhera, Punchhari and several other villages under Deeg Tehsil, which was led by Sewadal’s District Organising secretary Mitthu Singh Sankhla. Sewadal workers made the villagers aware of various schemes like Chief Minister Life Saving Fund, Free Medical Relief Card and pension schemes for old people, widows and handicapped. Those who participated in this campaign include District Council member Sant Singh Gurjar, Ramanlal Goswami, Pravin Choudhary, Shriram, Pawan Jaysawal, Hanif Khan, Sunil Verma and Mohan Singh Saini.

Tamilnadu

'We Will Go It Alone'

CHENNAI : "It is our goal and aim to fight it alone in the State minus the Dravidian parties," the AICC president, Smt. Sonia Gandhi, said on 14 August. Talking to reporters at the Chennai airport on her return from Madurai where she presided over the merger of the Tamil Maanila Congress with the Congress, she said: "Now we are one, we will go from strength to strength."

On the possibility of mid-term polls to the Lok Sabha, she said the Congress was not averse to mid-term polls. "That is for the Election Commission and the Government to decide, but we are most unhappy with the Govlernment’s performance," she said.