Speech

WE CAN TAKE PRIDE IN OUR VICTORY

Sonia Gandhi named ‘Star of Asia’ NEW DELHI: The US-based magazine ‘Business Week’ named Congress president, Smt. Sonia Gandhi among 25 others as ‘Stars of Asia’ for being in the ‘forefront of change.’ Describing Smt. Sonia Gandhi as the chief architect of Congress victory, the Asian edition of the magazine in its latest issue listed her as the top star of Asia in policymakers category for "turning down the top office and setting a new tone for India." Other Indians named as ‘Stars of Asia included noted industrialist Ratan Tata and IT specialist Kiran Karnik. Inter-State Council Members NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, who is the Chairman of Inter-State Council, has on 25 June nominated the Union Home Minister, Shri Shivraj Patil, the Finance Minister, Shri P. Chidambaram, the Agriculture Minister, Shri Sharad Pawar, the Railway Minister, Shri Laloo Prasad Yadav, the Transport and Shipping Minister, Shri T.R. Baalu, and the Law Minister, Shri H.R. Bhardwaj, as members of the Council. He also approved that the Defence Minister, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, the Human Resource Development Minister, Shri Arjun Singh, the Water Resources Minister, Shri P.R. Dasmunshi, and the Chemical and Fertilizers Minister, Shri Ram Vilas Paswan, will be permanent invitees to the Council. The Standing Committee of the Council was also reconstituted with the Home Minister, Shri Patil as its Chairman. It will have 14 members of which five will be Central Ministers – P. Chidambaram, H.R. Bhardwaj, Laloo Prasad Yadav, Sharad Pawar and T.R. Baalu.

Following is the speech delivered by the Congress President to the Congress Parliamentary Party General Body meeting in the Central Hall of the Parliament House on 7 July, 04

Fellow MPs and Colleagues :

This is the first CPP General Body Meeting of the 14th Lok Sabha. This is the first meeting of the CPP since you overwhelmed me with your emotion and generosity. Let me once again congratulate each and every one of you for having contributed to our party returning to office after eight years. As I said when I addressed you on the 15th of May, we have succeeded against all odds. We have prevailed despite all predictions of disaster. We faced tremendous challenges. We can take legitimate pride in our victory. Let me also greet the newly elected members of the Rajya Sabha.

Our government that is just over 40 days old has begun in right earnest. The Prime Minister has spoken to the nation. His special plea for making government a more effective instrument of economic change and social transformation has been well received across the country. A financial relief package for farmers has already been announced. This will greatly ease the burden of debt on them. MPs must associate themselves closely in the implementation of this package both at the state and district levels. The recently-held meeting of chief ministers discussed how to improve the effectiveness of rural development schemes, particularly through panchayati raj. Steps are being taken to rectify the communalization in our educational system and other institutions. The new Planning Commission has started functioning. Nuclear confidence-building measures with Pakistan are being put in place.

Yesterday, the Rail Budget was presented. As you would have noted this budget follows our ‘aam aadmi’ philosophy. We should welcome the emphasis on railway modernization and safety.

You must all have gone through and studied the Common Minimum Programme of the United Progressive Alliance. The CMP was finalized in a remarkably short period of time demonstrating our collective sense of purpose and determination. It is a document that reflects the verdict of the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, a verdict which saw a decisive rejection of the anti-poor economic policies and divisive social ideologies of the BJP/NDA. It is a political, economic and social compact with the people of India and a detailed statement of priorities, plans, policies and programmes of our UPA government. The main emphasis in the CMP is on agriculture, employment and investment in social and physical infrastructure.

Each ministry and the Central government as a whole will be monitoring the implementation of commitments we have made in the CMP. This is where, each of us as responsible representatives of the people, have a crucial role to play. We must interact and work closely with our colleagues in the government to ensure that the CMP is put into practice both in letter and spirit. We as MPs have an additional responsibility. To be fully effective, the CMP needs the sustained and active cooperation of the states. As MPs, we must work closely with the state governments to see that there is maximum involvement in its execution. Since the CMP is basically a charter for the welfare of the weaker sections of society, our efforts must be to facilitate its widest acceptance cutting across party lines.

The UPA Coordination Committee provides the overall political leadership to the CMP while the government itself provides the administrative momentum. In order to provide an added professional dimension to the CMP, the government has just set up a National Advisory Council. As its Chairperson, I shall devote considerable time to it. The Council is expected to increase public awareness of the CMP and will be our interface with civil society. It will also provide a mechanism through which the government will get regular feedback on the implementation of the CMP’s commitments and the impact they are having. We have been able to bring together in the Council a group of outstanding professionals from diverse fields like agriculture, employment, health, education, public administration, industry and technology as well as eminent social activists. The Council will work closely with the government to ensure that whatever we have pledged in the CMP becomes a reality. In addition, the CMP has promised new legislations which, I expect, the government will bring forward in the next few weeks.

This being the Budget session, naturally our schedule is packed. We will be kept very busy. At the same time, in just about 70 days time or thereabouts, Vidhan Sabha elections in Maharashtra will be held. Thereafter, assembly elections are due in Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar and Jharkhand. Thus while our parliamentary agenda is more than full, our party organization will gear itself up to consolidate on the success we had in the Lok Sabha polls. I am also paying special attention to strengthening our party in those states where our performance in the recent elections was disappointing.

I should say a few words on the conduct of the BJP/NDA in recent days. The desperation of our political opponents is not surprising, their frustration not unexpected. Blinded by arrogance of power, isolated from the people of our country, they did not expect to lose. They lost. More than that, they lost decisively. They and their cheerleaders are busy trying to subvert the overwhelming mandate of our people. We were in the Opposition for the past six years. But we were a constructive Opposition, always conscious of our duties and responsibilities to the people. We also opposed. We also agitated but in a sober, dignified manner. But the BJP/NDA is totally different. Left with no substantive issue whatsoever with which to attack us, they are behaving in a most irresponsible way. The entire country expects Parliament to function smoothly and debates to take place in a proper manner.

In the past few days some young MPs have met me and requested that the party organize training and orientation programmes both on procedural and substantive issues. I would request some of our senior and experienced colleagues like Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Shivraj Patilji, P.M. Sayeedji and Suresh Pachouriji to have such programmes for our first-term MPs in the next few days itself. I am also working on a structural plan whereby our ministerial colleagues keep MPs and the party fully informed about their action plans so that we can all collectively propagate our achievements.

Friends, whenever I spoke to you as Leader of Opposition, I would almost invariably end by requesting for full attendance and active participation. Today too, I repeat that plea. We must set the example both in Parliament itself and in meetings of various committees which will be soon constituted. We must also ensure that we stand out in the implementation of MPLADS.

Finally let us all work together towards effecting the changes that will impact positively on the lives of the people throughout the country. Let us all work together to fulfill the promise we made to them.

I wish you all the best just as we all hope and pray for good monsoon rains.