Sonia Reviews Party CMs Performance

The Congress president, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, plunged into ac tion within less than 48 hours after winning the presidential election with landslide majority. At a meeting of all the Congress Chief Ministers at AICC, she underlined the urgent need to formulate an effective socio-economic strategy to attend to the problems faced by the under-privileged and minorities.

At the end of an eight-hour meeting, the party sought to consolidate its traditional support base among the Scheduled Caste, the Scheduled Tribes, minorities and Backward Castes by directing its Governments to place special emphasis on schemes for the uplift and empowerment of these sections. By emphasising schemes for these sections, the party underlined its intention of using the nine Congress-ruled States as models as far as the SC, ST, Backward Castes, minorities and women were concerned.

Chaired by Ms. Gandhi, the meeting was attended by all the Congress Chief Ministers, the former Finance Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, the general secretaries in-charge of the States, Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyar, Mr. Jairam Ramesh, Mr. Mukul Wasnik, Mr. Imran Kidwai, Ms. Shelja and Mr. Valmiki, the AICC secretaries in-charge of the subjects that were discussed. After Mrs. Gandhi's introductory remarks, the Chief Ministers made their representations and they were questioned by the department secretaries.

Later, Mrs. Gandhi expressed satisfaction with the work of the Congress-ruled States but said "whatever we may do is not enough and more needs to be done." The review of the implementation of the programmes for the marginalised sections was not a one-time affair and she intended to conduct similar exercises at regular intervals. As part of the follow-up, she intended to travel to these States and spend at least two days gauging the reaction to these programmes and seeing how much of these had been implemented. According to the Congress leader, Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad, who briefed the media on the deliberations, the State Governments had been directed to implement SC/ST State Commissions reports, implement the Prevention of Atrocities Act and initiate schemes for providing housing facilities, besides giving special attention to their education and tribal welfare programmes including review of first laws in the light of Mr. Bhuria panel report. Setting up a commission to clear the backlog in jobs has also been recommended.

As part of the programme to empower women, provision of employment opportunities, free education to girl students till class 10 or 12 and reservation in technical institutions, have been emphasised. For the minorities, the party has stressed the need to establish and strengthen the Minorities Commission and the Minorities Development Corporation, set up the Haj and WAKF Boards, modernise 'madarsas' and enhance employment in Government agencies, especially the police and para-military forces. The meeting also discussed the feasibility of reservation for minorities on the lines of States like Kerala..

Price Hike Angers Mahila Congress

Smt. Chandresh Kumari, M.P, President of the All India Mahila Congress, and several other leaders of Mahila Congress sent a letter on 9th October, 2000 to the Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, protesting against hike in petroleum prices. Following is the text of the letter :

"The Government has once again inflicted increased prices of petroleum products upon the people. This is the third price rise of various petroleum products since last October. The prices of petrol, diesel, kerosene and cooking gas has been steeped very steeply. The present government has been right from the beginning, playing politics with oil prices, failing to implement decision taken in 1997 to adjust petroleum products prices in a rational, time-bound and sensitive manner. The government has once again in a knee jerk approach imposed a unstring burden on the citizen.

As is well known prices of petroleum products payable by consumers in India are influenced not only by price of crude oil and products in the world market, but also the quantum and structure of customs and excise duties. A scientific coordinated approach makes it imperative to take a hard look at all elements, which influence the price paid by the consumers. From public pronouncements of ministers it is far from clear as to how the government arrived at this unacceptable decision. Adhocism, insensitivity and callousness have become the second nature of this government.

It is well known that international oil market is highly volatile and fluctuations in prices are not infrequent. In this situation, only such increases in import prices, which are considered permanent, should be passed on to the consumers. Our system of import duties and excise duties for petroleum products give a windfall gain to the Govt. which should not have increased the price of kerosene so steeply at one go. The magnitude of the increase is unprecedented and unwarranted and will impose an intolerable burden on the poor. Kerosene is an item used by the poorest people. The windfall in revenue gains should have been used to both protect consumers of kerosene and address the oil pool deficit. As regards the price of diesel, in view of its widespread use both in transport and agriculture, it is bound to have a cascading effect on costs and prices. Here too, the government should made use of the tax system to soften the impact on consumers.

The huge increase in prices of LPG will cause immense hardship to a large number of middle class and lower class consumers, including the weaker sections of the society. In view of all these factors the All India Mahila Congress and Delhi Pradesh Mahila Congress demand that the government reverse its decision on petroleum product prices. The decision to increase prices does not even carry the entire Council of Ministers some of whom have alleged that there was no transparency in the decision-making.".
Sonia Gandhi Condoles Sirimavo's Death

The Congress President, Smt. Sonia Gandhi, condoled the demise of Smt. Sirimavo Bandaranaike. In a message, Smt. Sonia Gandhi said : "I am deeply distressed to learn of the passing of Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike who was the first woman to become Prime Minister of any country. My family's close association with her family goes back many decades. Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and my husband held her in affectionate high esteem. She was not only an outstanding leader of her country but a towering figure of the non-aligned movement. Her contribution to strengthen Indo-Sri Lanka relations is unrivalled and will be her enduring monument. On my own behalf and on behalf of the Congress Party, I send my sincere condolences to President Chandrika Kumaratunga and her family."

Sonia Pays Tributes to Khwaja Saheb
The Congress President, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, sent the following message on the occasion of the 788th Urs of Khwaja Saheb : "India has been the land of Sufis, Saints and Rishis for centuries. Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti (R.H.) is one such great Sufi of our country, whose spiritual preaching have spread the eternal message of humanity for the last 788 years. The Holy Congregation on the occasion of the Urs of Khwaja Saheb provides heartening of national integration which is unique and unparalleled. On the Holy occasion of the Urs the shrine of Khwaja Saheb becomes a meeting point for different faiths, cultures, languages and religions. On this occasion the believers of different religious faith becomes one with the spirit of unity and love to pay their homage to Khwaja Saheb in such a manner that the barriers of rich, poor and strangers disappear. The spiritual preaching of Khwaja Saheb shows the path of peace, unity, love and brotherhood to the mankind. On this Holy occasion of 788th Urs of Khwaja Saheb, I warmly welcome the pilgrims who are in Ajmer and hope that this Holy Urs will show a new path of national integration, tolerance and humanity to our countrymen. I convey my warm greetings to all devotees."
Sonia Hits out at BJP
BHOPAL : The Congress president, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition Government at the Centre and said that it is a "fraud" perpetuated on the nation by "opportunist and power hungry" partners of the ruling coalition. Mrs. Gandhi was addressing a farmers' rally at Jhiri in Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh on October 9, 2000. She blamed the Centre for adopting wrong economic policies and said these were responsible for the steep rise in the prices of essential commodities, particularly cooking gas, kerosene and petrol. Analysing the make-up of the BJP-led coalition at the Centre, Mrs. Gandhi said that there were serious differences between the ruling coalition partners and all of them were busy playing their own different tunes but were still sticking together merely to stay in power. Mrs. Gandhi referred to the severe drought situation in Madhya Pradesh and said the State Government was doing everything possible to provide relief to the drought-affected people. She said that the Central Government should immediately take all steps to help the State Government face this challenge. Expressing grave concern over the rapidly falling ground water table, Mrs. Gandhi said a long-term solution to this problem was possible only by converting the initiative being taken by the Rajiv Gandhi Watershed Mission into a people's movement. The AICC president accused the BJP-led Government at the Centre of creating more and more problems for the farmers by pursuing wrong policies. Giving full credit to the party for "all the prosperity or development one sees in the rural areas today", she said her party would give priority to rural development when it returns to power at the centre. Replying to a query by newspersons on her arrival at the Indore airport, Mrs. Gandhi said the Congress was not silent on the issue of price rise. She was earlier accorded a warm reception by party workers who were present at the airport in large numbers.
Congress Makes Clean Sweep in Gujrat Panchayat Polls
GANDHI NAGAR : The Congress captured 21 of the 23 district panchayats, giving a performance much beyond the expectations of its own leaders. In the municipal corporations, the party has already ended the BJP's uninterrupted 13 year rule in Rajkot and gave a close fight in Ahmedabad, Baroda and Jamnagar municipal corporations. The Congress's most outstanding performance came in district and taluka panchayats in which it completely wiped out the BJP, totally reversing the trend witnessed in the last elections. Out of the 23 districts, in 21 district panchayats, the Congress was placed very comfortably having claimed more than 500 of the total 735 seats. While it lost the Porbandar district panchayat, in 31-member Amreli panchayat, the party was tied at 15 seats each with the BJP with one seat having gone to the Samata Party. In some of the district panchayats, the party claimed more than two-thirds majority with 18 of the 25 seats in Gandhi Nagar district panchayat, 31 out of 41 in Sabarkanta, 28 out of 33 in Dahod, 40 out of 47 in Baroda, 14 out of 19 in Narmada, 20 of the 29 seats in Bulsar, 30 out of 45 in Surat, 34 out of 35 in Anand and 23 out of 33 in Ahmedabad district panchayats. In the taluka panchayats, out of the total 3,848 seats, the Congress has claimed 2,287 seats and has established majority in 172 talukas.