Letter to Congress Workers

Dear friends,

This month as we remember GandhijiÕs birth anniversary, we must not pay only lip service to the ideals that he practiced in both his personal and political life. Instead we must revisit them and learn the deep truths that they embodied. The chief message of Gandhiji that is relevant for the world is his principles of non-violence and peace. He was able to lead a non-violent struggle against the strongest Imperial power and succeed. His methods are necessary and appropriate today as each nation fights its own war against terrorism. We in India have suffered the loss of innocent lives once again in Assam and Manipur. We offer our deepest condolences to all those who lost their loved ones and hope that the results of such senseless violence will turn others away from terrorism. Similarly, we witnessed the tragic death of innocent children in Beslan, Russia. Our sympathies go out to the grieving parents of Russia.

The war against terrorism, is indeed a global war. The world must stand together against the senseless violence that drains a nationÕs strength and leads its youth astray. We must also search for the roots of conflict and address these basic issues with sincerity. GandhijiÕs method of struggle can show the way to those who seek their rights and learn to espouse their goals through non-violent means.

This year is also the birth centenary of Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri who shares his birthday with Gandhiji. His contribution to our freedom struggle and to nation building deserves to be remembered by our young today.

This month, we can be proud of another success of the UPA government. Our Prime-Minister, Shri Manmohan Singh visited England and the USA and succeeded in pushing through major agreements that benefit India.

Our science and technology sector is the new growth sector in India and we can justifiably claim to have good scientific man power in our country. It is the excellent institutions of scientific research that NehrujiÕs vision built for our country and that Rajivji continued with his focus on information technology which gives India the edge in many fields. This vision now needs to be applied to our primary education, especially in rural areas. This is the goal of the UPA in the coming years. Like we have succeeded in our other efforts, we will also succeed in bringing about universal literacy in the country. This will go a long way in empowering our poor and in transforming the face of rural India.