Speech

Let us be ready for Future challenges
- Sonia Gandhi

The Congress President, Smt. Sonia Gandhi's speech
at the CPP General Body Valedictory meeting in New Delhi on December 23

Fellow MPs and Colleagues :

Where is Feel Good Factor? 8% Growth : Facts & Fiction The Government is congratulating itself hugely on the achievement of a 8% rate of economic growth. What is the reality? Shri Jairam Ramesh, Secretary, Economic Department, AICC, brings out the facts in his statement issued on 5, January, 2004. • This 8% growth is just for a three-month period July- September 2003 and reflects, in large part, a low base during the earlier period. • This is not first time a 8% rate of economic growth has been recorded. 1967/68, 1975/76 and 1988/89-years when the Congress was in power _ all saw growth rates in excess of 8% and that too for the full year. • Even assuming the full year 2003/04 will see a 8% rate of economic growth, economic growth during the BJP-led NDA regime over the past five years will average just 5.7% per year. This is just about the average of the 1980s and much below the 6.7% averaged during 1992/93 _ 1996/97 when the Congress was in power. The achievement of the Congress government during 1991-96 was to give the country an unprecedented four consecutive years of outstanding growth. The BJP-led NDA has simply failed to do so. Manufacturing a momentary "feel good" sentiment is no substitute for sustained high growth. CWC Chalks Out election Strategy The Congress Working Committee at its meeting held on 7th January, 2004 adopted the following decisions : 1. High level team headed by Congress President to initiative moves to reach pre-poll alliances / adjustments with secular progressive forces to defeat BJP-led NDA. 2. AICC to depute experienced leaders with the responsibility of helping the Party in Lok Sabha election. Each leader will be entrusted with one big State or 2 or 3 small States. These leaders will devote most of their time in the concerned States. 3. Assessment and stocktaking by AICC observers for all Lok Sabha constituencies to be completed preferably by end-January. Process of candidate selection will be initiated on receipt of reports. 4. Single over-arching Election Management Committee under the Chairmanship of the Congress President to be set up with a number of specific sub-committees. 5. Professional assistance to be obtained for surveys, preparation of publicity material, etc. 6. Streamlined and effective system for planning for speakers' programmes during election campaign to be put in place both at the AICC and the PCC levels. 7. Special team to be constituted to prepare a detailed expose of the NDA Government's failures well in time. 8. Constituency-level election management committees chaired by the Congress candidate to be set up to run the campaign on a constituency basis with the active support of the DCCs/BCCs. 9. It is imperative to involve elected Congress and friendly independent members of panchayats and nagarpalikas in the election campaign more directly and systematically. 10.With the availability of booth-wise results, booth-wise strategies have now become possible and must be facilitated by the AICC in consultation with the PCCs/RCCs/TCCs/BCCs. The Process is On : Sonia Gandhi NEW DELHI : "We will be talking to like-minded parties. We are already in the process of talking to secular parties to firm up a front to take on the BJP in the next polls," said the Congress president, Smt. Sonia Gandhi after the Congress Working Committee meeting here on 7 January.

This has indeed been a very short session. Just two weeks back I had welcomed all of you and now it is time to disperse.

We heard the Prime Minister's statement on corruption. Finally, after a long delay, the CBI has instituted an inquiry against Shri Dileep Singh Judeo. This confirms that the FIR was deliberately delayed by more than a month with the intention of sparing the BJP more embarrassment during the election. We hope that the CBI will complete an impartial inquiry into this and the other episode in Chhattisgarh in all its dimensions. I use the word "impartial" deliberately since both the Home Minister and the Law Minister have, if I am not mistaken, acknowledged their role in the "sting" operation involving Shri Ajit Jogi.

The new law to curb the menace of defections is also a welcome step forward and all of us can legitimately take credit for its enactment. In fact, what we have passed into law is exactly what Rajivji himself had originally proposed.

POTA has been amended. But our deep concerns on the misuse of POTA against political opponents, against innocent men, women and even children remain. We opposed it in the Joint Session because we have always believed that existing laws are sufficient to combat terrorism, provided the government is firm in its purpose.

We have had a discussion on the Telgi stamp paper scam. It is not enough for the central government to take recourse to the familiar "systematic failure" argument. As for its demand that the Centre must be taken into confidence on the investigations by states, let me say that this is precisely what the Karnataka and Maharashtra governments have been doing these past three years. Inspite of being briefed at all stages by the Karnataka government, the Union Finance Ministry hardly took any action as far as lapses pointed out to him.

The Unorganised Sector Workers Bill, 2003 was not tabled in this session. Such a legislation would have given a new life to almost 400 million workers in the unorganized sector. Some of our state governments have already taken initiatives in this area.

The Government has once again found a way not to take up the Women's Reservation and Lok Pal Bills inspite of our support for both. The Prime Minister and his colleagues have, time and again, been promising that these Bills would be tabled. The continuing delay reveals their true intentions.

The Action Taken Report on the report of the Standing Committee on Defence is a further eye-opener.

The ATR re-establishes the huge under-utilization of funds over the past three years earmarked for defence modernization. It reaffirms that around Rs. 7000 crore of revenues collected through the Kargil Tax have not been spent for the purposes they were intended. Gross irregularities in the procurement of material to enhance the safety of our brave jawans and officers have also been confirmed.

Later this morning there will be a debate on the grim employment situation prevailing in the country. This is the single most glaring economic failure of the central government. Economic growth has slowed down and investment is stagnant. Organised sector employment is falling _ This is a grave situation leading crores of young men and women to despair.

After one long year, we were able to discuss the Action Taken Report on the JPC on the Stock Market scam. The ATR confirms our worst fears of a complete whitewash of a gigantic scandal. Crores of small investors and senior citizens have been devastated by this huge loss and yet the government has not held the truly guilty accountable. Even the Chairman of the JPC has identified areas where the government has not followed up on its recommendations. It is also a measure of the government's hypocrisy that the PM and the DPM, who adopted a high moral posture during the earlier securities scam in the mid-1990s when they were in the Opposition, have adopted a completely different stance on the 1999-2001 scam and the JPC on it.

This government talks about its commitment to social justice. I see no such commitment. Over two yeas ago, two Constitution Amendment Bills were passed to rectify defects in administrative OMs dealing with recruitment and promotion of SC/STs in government service. Yet, there has been no follow-up action. It is to register our strong protest at this inexcusable delay that our MPs, along with MPs of some other parties, boycotted the recent meeting of the Parliamentary Forum of SC/STs.

The BJP has started a systematic campaign to denigrate the achievements of previous Congress governments at the Centre over the past five decades. By repeatedly falsifying facts, the BJP is trying to invent a new reality. This is its well-known strategy. It is for all of us to forcefully counter this deliberate deceit and present the truth to the people. We must highlight BJP failures in a convincing and aggressive manner. Unemployment is mounting. Rural-urban disparities have grown. Kisans and Khet mazdoors, plantation workers across the country have faced unprecedented distress. The public sector is being destroyed. Investment in industry and agriculture is stagnant. Falling interest rates have hit crores of our people who put their hard-earned savings in bank deposits.

We will have our own positive and constructive campaign themes. But it is important to counter the propaganda that the BJP will undoubtedly mount in the months ahead against us. We have to explain clearly and cogently that in matters of economic policy, in matters of social policy, the Congress is completely different from the BJP. We have to explain clearly and convincingly that only the Congress pursues economic growth with social harmony, only the Congress is committed to true panchayati raj that will empower our people, only the Congress can integrate policies of economic reforms and social welfare. Only we are truly committed to the welfare of the poor. You may recall that at the Shimla Shivir I had elaborated on what sets us apart from the BJP. This is a message that all of us must continually propagate.

We welcome the action of the Royal Bhutanese army in launching a major offensive against militants and terrorists. Hopefully this would result in bringing peace in the northeastern region. We also welcome the Prime Minister's forthcoming visit to Pakistan and hope that it will be conducive to a positive dialogue between our two countries. The government has reassured us that cross-border terrorism has reduced substantially. Yet, there have been disturbing reports of Afghan militants setting up bases in the Kashmir Valley. The search for peace should not make us complacent on these and other such threats.

The next few months will see elections in Andhra Pradesh. We also cannot rule out the possibility of the Lok Sabha polls being advanced. I am aware that a great deal of disappointment exists amongst us after the recent setback. But it does not help carry on in this mood. We have to step out of it. We have to be totally prepared and ready ourselves for the coming challenge. Steps to put together an election management teams and strategies are already being taken. You will be kept fully informed and involved.

Before closing I want to emphasize how absolutely crucial it is for all of us to involve ourselves in the process of finalization of electoral rolls. The AICC and the PCC have also been galvanized. We must not allow manipulations in these lists. I hope that each one of us give this matter urgent attention. Finally today, when our great party faces many challenges, the need for each and every one of us to work collectively and cohesively, to work in a selfless spirit of cooperation is paramount.

I wish you all Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.