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Editorial
Congress
on the March
The
Shimla Manthan Shivir marks the beginning of the battle
ahead. It is a battle that will have far-reaching impact
on the destiny of the people of this ancient nation. What
is at stake is not just the bread and butter of the people,
not even political power, but the very fundamental principles
and values that sustained this nation state and made it
a fascinating mosaic of faiths and customs; what is at stake
is India’s commitment to democracy. The battle ahead is
no less important than those the Congress party fought to
free the country from the colonial yoke of the imperial
British. This battle is complicated, but must be won.
As
the BJP and its passive partners in power are busy seeking
to reverse the clock unmindful of the looming terrorist
threat, the nation is getting deeper and deeper into a quagmire
of instability and insecurity. Time has come to wage a do
or die battle to deliver the nation and the posterity from
fanatical forces. The Congress Party and its rank and file
alone can successfully face this challenge. As Smt. Sonia
Gandhi told the Shimla Shivir "the Congress is unique
and there can be no match to it."
The
Shimla Vichar Manthan Shivir that was called to fine tune
the party’s approach towards the issues that concern the
people and the nation and to chalk-out a strategy for the
electoral battles ahead was acutely conscious of the tasks
before the party. The first Shivir held in Pachmarhi in
1998 laid down the broad framework of policies. The number
of conclaves held afterwards debated in depth this policy
framework. The final seal was put at Shimla.
As
has been the Congress tradition, the Shimla Shivir too had
gone about its task very systematically and scientifically.
The five groups that considered a) Congress and Political
challenges, b) Congress and rural transformation, c) Congress
and social empowerment, d) Congress and people-oriented
governance and e) Election preparedness and organizational
reforms, had prepared study papers which were presented
to the Congress President. They were later debated extensively
at the Shivir.
The
entire exercise was meant to attend to even a minor detail
of the policies and programmes to ensure their effective
implementation. Smt. Sonia Gandhi set the tone for the crucial
conclave when she said that the Congress Party should be
"in the forefront in deciding national goals and in
the struggle of viewpoints." She told the participants,
who converged on Shimla from every nook and corner of India,
"a political party should keep itself fresh and alive.
There has been a constant change in viewpoints and aspirations
of society causing new challenges to emerge before us."
These words were a great testimony to her leadership that
was sensitive to changing society and its hopes and aspirations.
The
Shimla Sankalp that was adopted at the Shivir covered every
aspect of India’s socio-economic and political dimensions.
The bottomline of this remarkable document is that policies
are meant for people and hence should be reformed to suit
changing needs. Placing the Shimla Sankalp in proper perspective,
Smt. Gandhi said in her concluding remarks "this Sankalp
will be implemented fully, in letter and spirit. And I would
welcome being held accountable for it by all of you. The
Sankalp is our political charter, it is yet another milestone
in our continued struggle against all forces of communalism
and fundamentalism, against the BJP, the RSS, the VHP and
the Bajrang Dal that seek to destroy social harmony and
against the BJP-led NDA government that has proved to be
such a colossal and massive failure". To expose the
BJP-led NDA regime, the Congress Party will launch a Jan
Jagaran Abhiyan across the country. The Shivir adopted
14 core priorities in its agenda for now and for the future.
As
Smt. Gandhi said the Congress Party is "fully prepared
for the election any time, whether it is held this year
or the next year." People all over the country are
eager to get rid of the BJP-led NDA government. Responding
to their wishes the Congress Party has geared up itself
for this task. Towards this objective, the Congress reiterated
its policy of an open mind on coalition of like-minded parties.
Smt. Gandhi said "the prevailing situation in the country
makes it incumbent on all secular forces to intensify their
efforts to evolve a strategy for combating communalism and
religious fundamentalism and for ensuring the defeat of
the BJP and its allies." The march towards this goal
has begun and as Smt. Gandhi said "no sacrifice should
be too great for each and every Congressman and woman"
to ensure victory
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