Shimla Manthan

Shimla Blue-print for Future

SHIMLA : The Congress president, Smt. Sonia Gandhi declared that her party was fully prepared to face elections any time as the people of the country were anxiously waiting for an opportunity to throw the BJP-led NDA government out at the Centre. Smt. Gandhi said this in her inaugural address at the three-day Congress Vichar Manthan Shivir, here on 7 July. The first Shivir was held at Pachmarhi in 1998.

Smt. Sonia Gandhi launched a frontal attack on the BJP-led NDA Government for failing the people of the country in vital areas like national security, defence, social harmony, economic growth, foreign policy and good governance. Smt. Gandhi spoke first in Hindi and later in English. Smt. Gandhi touched upon almost every issue ranging from the menace of terrorism to the ongoing controversy over sending troops to Iraq. Smt. Gandhi also took the Home Minister to task for failing to come up with his much-promised white paper on Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence and added that over the past three years the government had not been able to utilize Rs. 24,000 crores from the defence budgetary allocation.

Before the inaugural speech, Smt. Gandhi unfurled the Congress flag on the sprawling lawns of the Peterhoff Hotel where the Shivir was being held. Earlier on 6 July, Smt. Gandhi was accorded a warm welcome on her arrival and was received at the Oakover, the official residence of the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, where she stayed during the session. Smt. Gandhi was received by Chief Minister, Shri Virbhadra Singh and his wife, Smt. Pratibha Singh, PCC chief, Ms. Vidya Stokes, and senior Congress leaders, Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ms. Ambika Soni, Ms. Mohsina Kidwai, Shri Ahmed Patel and Shri Anand Sharma. Due to the foggy weather, Smt. Gandhi had to come to Shimla by road from Chandigarh, having a brief halt at Parwanoo in Kalka.

The Queen of the Hills, Shimla was hosting such a big political event after a gap of more than three decades. It was in 1971 that AICC held its plenary session here. It was followed by the historic Indo-Pak talks between Smt. Indira Gandhi and Shri Zulfikar Ali Bhutto which culminated in the famous Shimla Agreement. All the chief ministers from Congress-ruled states and VVIPs were lodged at the Oberoi’s Cecil Hotel which was about half a kilometer from the venue.

During the three-day Vichar Manthan Shivir, the 267 delegates were divided into five groups to discuss different issues on the basis of the working papers prepared by the party. The topics that came for discussion were political challenges, rural transformation, electoral preparedness and organizations reform, social empowerment and people-oriented governance. The working papers were prepared by the committees of senior Congress leaders. The outcome of the deliberation was adopted by the party in the shape of the Shimla Declaration.

In the midst of the tight schedule on the second day, Smt. Gandhi sprang a surprise by venturing out of the Peterhoff complex for a midnight walk. The securitymen (SPG) were taken by surprise as Smt. Gandhi decided to walk down to the Cecil Hotel, which is about 600 metres from Peterhoff, to have a cup of tea. Earlier, in the afternoon while returning to Oakover, where Smt. Gandhi was staying, she stopped on the Ridge to have a close look at the statue of Dr. Y.S. Parmar. Thereafter, Smt. Gandhi had a brief walk from Shimla Club to Woodville Hotel before returning to her residence. Smt. Gandhi also met the local MLAs who called on her on 6 July evening.

On the concluding day, the Congress president, appealed to all secular parties to join hands with the Congress to ensure the defeat of the BJP and its allies. In her concluding speech, Smt. Sonia Gandhi said, "the prevailing situation in the country makes it incumbent on all secular parties to evolve a strategy for combating communalism and religious fundamentalism and for ensuring the defeat of the BJP and its allies."

The six-page Shimla Sankalp (resolution) was significant in many ways as it touched vital issues, was read out to the delegates by the AICC secretary, Ms. Selja, inviting all "progressive thinking men and women, institutions and political movements", who share the party’s concern and its vision to join hands in the ideological and electoral battle which lies ahead.

Later, AICC general secretary, Smt. Ambika Soni said while commenting on Smt. Sonia Gandhi’s call for alliance that "we have always felt the need for consolidating secular forces to combat communalism, without compromising with the policies and ideology of the Indian National Congress."

As to what was the message from Shimla, Smt. Soni said the emphasis is on youth and the empowerment of weaker sections — for the first time, there is a demand for reservation for them in private companies. The fact that Selja, a Congress leader from Haryana read out the Shimla Sankalp was symbolic, for she is young, a woman, a dalit — all focus areas for the party. That’s an even bigger message than the written word.

On Congress’s stand of sending Indian troops to Iraq, Smt. Soni said that "we are not for sending of troops as things stand today. So, there is no ambiguity on this. The same is the case with things like Ayodhya and national security."

- Rattan Francis