Shimla
Manthan
Shimla
Sankalp
Taking
stock and reviewing the current political, social and economic
situation in the country, Being concerned with the state
of the nation brought about by the comprehensive and glaring
failures of the BJP-led NDA government and its divisive
policies, Responding to the public sentiment against the
sharp fall in the rate of economic growth, mounting unemployment,
stagnant investment, dire distress of kisans and khet mazdoors,
increasing neglect of rural India and youth, grievous damage
to social harmony and amity, growing jeopardy to defence
preparedness and national security, rampant corruption and
scams and the erosion of the independence of the country’s
foreign policy, Conscious of the uniqueness of the Indian
National Congress arising from several basic features of
its Congress’s history, its character, its ideology and
the legacy of its leadership, Continuing to be inspired
by the life and the message of Mahatma Gandhi and recalling
at this critical moment the yeoman contribution to nation
building and social reform of a galaxy of remarkable Congressmen
and women like Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Rajendra
Prasad, Maulana Azad, Subhas Chandra Bose, Rajaji, Acharya
Kripalani, Kamaraj, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indiraji, Rajivji
and many other stalwarts, Appreciating the successful stewardship
of the country under successive Congress governments at
the Centre and in states that have resulted in economic
growth and social transformation, Acknowledging the support,
goodwill and affection of all sections of our society, particularly
the weaker sections like dalits, adivasis, OBCs, minorities
and women, Taking inspiration from Smt. Sonia Gandhi’s inaugural
speech at this Vichar Manthan Shivir in which she has spelt
out a comprehensive vision, strategy and action programme
for our party, from her relentless efforts to give voice,
respect and position to the karyakartas across the country.
Proclaims
the following Shimla Sankalp :
Political
Challenges :
1.
The Indian National Congress announces that it stands fully
prepared and ready to face the national elections at any
time. No sacrifice should be too great for each and every
Congressman and woman to ensure defeat of the BJP and its
allies in the forthcoming elections. Throughout its annals,
the dedication and sacrifices of lakhs of its workers across
the length and breadth of this vast country that has sustained
the Congress, in and out of power. It will be the dynamism
of this committed cadre along with the support of the people
that will ensure the victory of the Congress under the leadership
of Smt. Sonia Gandhi.
2.
The Indian National Congress will launch and sustain a Jan
Jagran Abhiyan across the country to expose the BJP-led
NDA government’s comprehensive and glaring failures on security,
defence, communal harmony, economic growth, social welfare,
good governance, foreign policy and probity and transparency
in public life.
3.
The Indian National Congress re-emphasizes its unwavering
commitment to fight religious fundamentalism of all kinds.
It also reiterates its resolve to combat in as determined
a manner as possible the evil and cynical attempts being
made by the BJP, the RSS, the VHP and the Bajrang Dal to
distort and destroy the liberal and tolerant essence of
the Hinduism. It will also ensure that the essence of all
great religions and faiths that have flourished for millennia
on the soil of our country are protected and respected.
4.
The Indian National Congress rededicates itself to strengthening
the forces of nationalism that celebrate India’s multiple
diversities and nurture its many unities. The Indian National
Congress expresses its commitment to the people that the
communalisation of education will not go unchallenged and
that the values of our Freedom Movement, of our Constitution
and of our culture will resonate in schools and educational
institutions through the Bapu Sadbhavna and Shiksha
Trust. It calls upon all like-minded, progressive people
to participate in this historic endeavour.
5.
The Indian National Congress applauds the courage of the
people of Jammu and Kashmir who have reinforced their commitment
to secular democracy. It was the sagacity and concern for
the welfare of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the concern
for the national interest that led Smt. Sonia Gandhi to
agree to the formation of a PDP-led coalition government
in J&K. The Indian National Congress accords the highest
priority to the success of this coalition and to the formulation
and execution of an effective strategy to deal with cross-border
terrorism by the Centre. At the same time, the Indian National
Congress will forcefully resist all attempts at using the
issue of cross-border terrorism to polarize our society
on religious and communal lines.
6.
The Indian National Congress is committed to the rapid and
equitable development of all regions of our vast country.
The special challenges and concerns of the people of the
northeast will receive our undivided attention. The dangerous
and nefarious political game being played by the BJP-led
NDA government in collaboration with various insurgent groups
will be exposed and resisted determinedly in the larger
interests of our country.
7.
The Indian National Congress promises the people of the
country an accelerated, time-bound programme for the modernization
of defence and a programme for providing full educational
and housing facilities to the families of our armed forces
and for the welfare of ex-servicemen and their families
as well.
8.
The Indian National Congress is firm in its commitment to
Jawaharlal Nehru’s vision of foreign policy. That framework
has in-built flexibility to respond to the dynamics of a
changing world keeping our national interests paramount.
For the Congress, non-alignment has essentially meant independence
in foreign policy. Recalling Rajiv Gandhi’s historic efforts
for the establishment of the nuclear weapons-free world,
the Indian National Congress reiterates its commitment to
universal nuclear disarmament. As part of this process,
the Congress Party believes in the need for initiating a
dialogue with our nuclear neighbours for confidence-building
measures and for managing the consequences of nuclearisation.
People-Oriented
Governance, Rural Transformation and Social Empowerment
9.
The Indian National Congress identifies the following as
the core priorities in its agenda of governance in keeping
with its beacon Congress Ka Haath, Garib Ke Saath :
*
The assurance of reliable power, cheaper credit, better
seeds, assured irrigation and remunerative prices to kisans
across the country.
*
The devolution of funds, functions and functionaries so
as to fully empower panchayats and nagarpalikas and make
them vibrant institutions of local self-government.
*
The enactment of a national rural employment guarantee by
law and making employment growth for educated youth the
overriding objective of all economic policies.
*
The establishment of food and nutrition security for all
at more affordable prices and more particularly for the
destitute and vulnerable sections of our society and for
those living in the poorer and backward regions of the country.
*
The introduction of social insurance and other schemes for
the protection and welfare of all workers but particularly
for those in the unorganized sector who constitute over
93% of our labour force.
*
The acceleration of the implementation of land reforms and
the initiation of reforms in land laws and record of rights
to enable the conversion from the present system of presumptive
titles to conclusive titles guaranteed by the state.
*
The launching of major programmes for the economic advancement,
social empowerment, political representation and legal equality
of dalits, adivasis, OBCs and minorities.
*
The time-bound implementation of the Mahila Sashaktikaran
Sankalp adopted by the AICC on October 1, 2002.
*
The start of a purposeful dialogue with private industry
on how best India’s social diversity could be reflected
in the private sector in different ways like reservations
and fiscal incentives, how privatization where inevitable
can protect the welfare of the weaker sections of society
and how government procurement can promote entrepreneurship
among dalits and adivasis.
*
The introduction of liberal loan and scholarship schemes
to ensure that no boy or girl belonging to the weaker sections
of society is denied the benefit of school and college education.
*
The deepening of fiscal and other economic reforms to make
Indian agriculture, industry and services productive and
competitive and to increase public investment particularly
in irrigation, power, education and health.
*
The functioning of government in a completely transparent,
responsive and accountable manner with special focus on
major administrative, police and judicial reforms.
10.
The Indian National Congress recalls with pride that it
was Rajiv Gandhi who brought India into IT, computer and
telecom age. The Indian National Congress also recalls with
pride that it was a Congress government that launched economic
reforms in the early 1990s to consolidate and expand on
the gains made in earlier decades. Social mobility and the
expansion of the middle class in India is a direct consequence
of the Congress’s economic policies followed after Independence.
The dynamic entrepreneurial base in India is a direct result
of the Congress’s vision and policies. The Indian National
Congress is the only party that integrates pro-poor policies,
programmes and perspectives with the concerns and aspirations
of the middle classes and entrepreneurial communities.
11.
The Indian National Congress fully recognizes that the youth
are our country’s most precious and productive assets. They
will get the Congress’s maximum political, social and economic
support to realize their aspiration in education, employment
and entrepreneurship.
Organizational
Reforms
12.
The Indian National Congress rededicates itself to a renaissance
of the country’s political culture along the lines identified
in the Congress President’s opening speech at this Vichar
Manthan Shivir. It renews its commitment to major electoral
reforms, among other things, to make party funding more
transparent and to combat criminalisation of politics.
13.
The Indian National Congress decides to establish a national
training institute. Every Congressman and woman will go
through an annual orientation course on contemporary political,
economic and social issues and constructive work.
14.
In keeping with the sentiments expressed by the Congress
President in her opening speech at Shimla, the Indian National
Congress reiterates its firm commitment to giving grassroot
workers across the country a respected place in the party
organization.
Conclusion
The
Indian National Congress fought for Independence and secured
it for our people. We must now fight to preserve it and
its time-tested values in their truest form. Our unshakable
commitment is to the politics of principles, to democracy,
secularism, economic growth and social empowerment. We now
seek the support of the people to bring India back on the
path of progress with Congress under the leadership of Smt.
Sonia Gandhi. We invite all progressive-thinking men and
women, institutions and political movements who share our
understanding of India’s past, our concerns with India’s
present and our vision of India’s future to join us in this
historic endeavour.
(Shimla Sankalp was read by Kumari Selja and adopted
at the Vichar Manthan Shivir of All India Congress Committee
held in Shimla (H.P) from 7th
to 9th July,
2003)
