STATES

CHATTISGARH

Congress activists at a membership drive in Raipur, Chattisgarh

Youth Congress Begins Membership Drive

RAIPUR : District Youth Congress in Chattisgarh launched a state-wide massive membership drive in the presence of Chief Minister Ajit Jogi in a special function at Azad Chowk here on August 1. Mr. Jogi asked them to touch the figure of four lakh memberships in the State.

Later a large number of Youth Congress workers took out a motorcycle rally on the streets of the state Capital to protest against the “violent demonstration of Bhartiya Janata Party” in front of the Chief Minister’s house three months back.

District Youth Congress rural unit president Yogesh Tiwari led the rally which passed through the main thoroughfares of the city. He criticised the BJP-led Union Government for “abetting the communalism and thereby posing a threat to law and order in the entire nation.”

Addressing the Youth Congress members, Mr. Jogi asked the members to enhance the base of the party in rural and urban areas both to bring the common people into the party fold.

Presiding over the function, State Youth Congress convenor Ajay Upadhyay said, for the first time the ground-level party workers would be given an opportunity to be elected from among the members themselves. The Youth Congress members expressed their commitment to “expose the policies of the Centre which have caused troubles to the countrymen from all walks of life”, he added.

UTTARANCHAL

Political Training Camps on Farmers Plight

HARIDWAR : After a series of Political Training Camps on scams like Telecom, BALCO, Share Market and Tehelka, the Political Training Department of the AICC, started a second series of training camps on the problems of farmers and labour. As per directions of the Chairman, Mr. Mani Shanker Aiyar, the first camp of this series was held at Haridwar on 21 & 22 September.

The Camp was organised in Ganga Swaroop Ashram, Haridwar and 237 delegates from eight Northern States - Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, Rajasthan, J&K, Himachal Pradesh & Uttaranchal participated. The Camp was inaugurated by Shri Balram Jakhar, Ex-Union Minister and Ex-Lok Sabha Speaker. On the first day, 21 September 2001, discussions/lectures were held on the problems of farmers. Besides other speakers, Shri Krishnaveer Singh Chaudhary, president Bharat Krishak Samaj and Shri Afsar Zafri, Agriculture specialists, addressed the delegates.

On the second day, on 22 September 2001, discussion were held on the problems of labour and Shri Milind Rana Dey, leader of the Lal Nishan Party, Mumbai, Shri Ashim Roy, labour leader from Ahmedabad, Shri Ashok Singh, INTUC leader from Uttar Pradesh and Shri Surendra Sharma, INTUC, president, Uttaranchal, addressed the delegates.

Shri Mani Shankar Aiyar, MP and the Chairman of the Department, presided over the meetings at the camp, Shri Harikesh Bahadur, Ex-MP, Co-Chairman of the Department and Dr. D.N. Balodhi, Co-ordinator, Political Training Department, AICC and Incharge of Haridwar Camp proposed a vote of thanks to the delegates and to the distinguished speakers.

Shri Bhajan Lal, Ex-Chief Minister, delivered the veledictory speech. Shri Harish Rawat presided over the concluding session of the camp. The delegates-composition was as follows : Uttaranchal 30, Jammu & Kashmir 15, Chandigarh 8, Punjab 25, Himachal Pradesh 48, Rajasthan 55, Haryana 30 and Delhi 26.

NEW DELHI

Smt. Vimlesh Kumari presenting shawls at the meeting

Sevadal Meet

NEW DELHI : The Delhi Pradesh Congress (East) wing organised its working committee meeting in Ward-13 of the Ghonda Assembly segment on 28 October. The meet was convened by Smt. Vimlesh Kumari and chaired by Shri Bishan Singh Pal. Area MLA Shri Bishnu Sharma spoke about the work done and also discussed the problems being faced in the area. He assured that he would look into these problems. Councillors were honoured by presenting them with shawls.

Devendra Dwivedi, R.K. Anand Join Congress

NEW DELHI : Former Solicitor General of India Mr. Devendra Dwivedi, and Mr. R.K. Anand, Rajya Sabha MP, have formally joined the Congress party. Both these lawyers turned politicians, were admitted into the Congress party by the Congress president, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi.

For Mr. Devendra Dwivedi, it was a homecoming. He said he had decided to return to the Congress because that was where he had always belonged. “Congress is the only party which can restore stability and equilibirium to the body politic” said Mr. Dwivedi.

Mr. R.K. Anand, the lone JMM representative in the Rajya Sabha, is also a leading practitioner in the Supreme Court. He has been associated with the party and the Nehru-Gandhi family for a long time.