|
|
Letter
to Congress Workers
 Dear
friends,
On
the 12th of March 1930, Mahatma Gandhi led a
small band of twelve dedicated Congress workers from his
ashram in Sabarmati to Dandi on the coast of Gujarat to
protest against the tax on salt. On the way, the twelve
marchers swelled to thousands and this changed the face
of the Congress party, turning it from an elite Party into
a mass movement that launched a struggle not only against
the British but declared war on poverty. Gandhiji taught
us much but his most important lesson was his commitment
to the commonman and his belief in non-violence and communal
harmony. He led our people, and for the first time, brought
out Indian women from the confines of their homes, to fight
for a moral and just cause. The Congress by participating
and deciding to commemorate the 75th anniversary
of this movement, hopes to once again rekindle the ideals
and philosophy of this great man. Let us all work together
to make his vision of a secular prosperous and equitable
India a reality.
I
would also like to congratulate our workers for the sweeping
victory that the Congress party won in the Haryana Elections.
It demonstrated once again that a strong party organization
from the grass roots up is a must for the Congress to emerge
as a clear winner. It also demonstrated the strength of
the Congress's ideology and its principles! However, where
the Bihar and Jharkhand elections are concerned, we must
sit down and take stock for our weak performance.
The
other significant success is the presentation of our Budget.
Our Prime Minister and our Finance Minister have shown the
Party's commitment to the CMP programme. This programme
is committed to the middle path. We have tried to balance
the demands of economic reform while keeping the commonman
at the forefront. The Congress slogan, Congress ka haath,
aam admi ke saath, is our aim. The increased resource
allocation for agriculture, health and education is a clear
indicator of this. We have always wanted the best for all
our people and remain committed to the eradication of poverty,
wherever it exists.
At
the same time, we do not believe in curtailing the entrepreneurial
spirit of our country. India is poised to become one of
the leading economies of the world and for that it needs
to ensure that its government follows policies that lead
to the widest dissemination of the fruits of economic growth
and at the same time implements policies that allow us to
compete adequately with the opportunities being provided
by the world market. We have initiated many programmes for
the poor. Today, as the government, it is our duty to ensure
that these are implemented so that policy actually translates
into practice and that corruption does not take over subsidies
and those we want to empower do not once again get left
behind. This is what we expect from our frontal organizations
and from our cadres. Let the people know that we stand by
their needs and represent their interests because we, the
Congress Party, believe in them and are willing to work
towards making India like Gandhiji wanted it into an equitable,
prosperous and a secular country.
|
|
