Report
AICC
DIARY
Varchasva
Yatra
10.9.2004:
Shri Abhishek Singhvi addressed the media.
Shri
Abhishek Singhvi said that the BJP and Ms. Uma Bharati are
venturing on their Varchasva (self promotion) Yatra under
the shadow of the national flag is merely a political stunt
and surrogate politics. Shri Singhvi said that after their
defeat recently in the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP is hesitating
to face the people and are on the lookout for issues. This
was evident when Shri Advani made a statement that the next
elections will not be fought under Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee
or Shri Advani but under a youthful leader and this showed
that the war of self promotion has started within the BJP,
Shri Singhvi said.
While
talking about BJP Yatras, Shri Singhvi said that the whole
nation knows what happened during the Ayodhya Yatra. Next,
in an attempt to cross over from North Block to South Block,
Shri Advani took out the Bharat Uday Yatra and that too
we all have seen. That Yatra did not bring any shine (uday)
for the country but certainly proved doom for the BJP in
the Lok Sabha elections.
Hunger
Death
13.9.2004:
Dr. Girija Vyas, Shri Mukul Wasnik and Shri Anand Sharma
addressed the media.
Dr.
Girija Vyas said that she had personally gone and seen the
place where 27 tribal deaths of children have occurred.
The deaths were due to hunger and malnutrition. The people
were still awaiting help from the state government which
is yet to come. I would like to remind you that when Congress
was in power in the state we were confronted year after
year by acute drought and despite not getting any help from
the then BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.
Shri
Mukul Wasnik elaborated on the deaths due to hunger in the
tribal belt of Rajasthan where 27 deaths were reported.
Shri Wasnik said that 16 children were below the age of
five years. Shri Mukul Wasnik said that the Congress party
has given a memorandum to the Rajasthan governor in this
regard on 9th September and to the Vice-president
on 12th September. The memorandum demanded immediate
monetary compensation to the affected families, provisions
of medical attention at the earliest, provide employment
and provide foodgrains where it is not available and to
look into its distribution. Relief measures have been taken
up by the Congress and foodgrain too has been dispatched
to this tribal area alongwith a team of doctors with medicines.
Organisational
Elections
17.9.2004:
Shri Abhishek Singhvi and AICC general secretary Shri Janardan
Dwivedi addressed the press.
Shri
Dwivedi talked about the organizational elections of the
party and said that on the request of the PCCs and DCCs
the work on enrolment which could not be completed by the
last date of 31st August, more time was requested.
As such the enrolment now closes on 15th November.
The election process starts from 17th November
before which all membership books have to be deposited.
Shri Dwivedi said that the election of PCC president, PCC
executive, AICC members and issue of identity cards of AICC
Members will be completed by 30th April, 2005.
Shri
Dwivedi said that there is a separate programme for the
states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Haryana which will be going
to elections early next year. But for them too the membership
enrolment closes on 15 November.
Five
Join Congress
21.9.2004:
Shri Satyavrat Chaturvedi and Shri Anand Sharma briefed
the press.
Five
members of BJP and SP from Uttar Pradesh joined the Congress
party today. They were introduced to the media by Shri Satyavrat
Chaturvedi. Those who joined were former Union Minister
Shri Balram Singh Yadav, Shri Prabhu Dayal Kethuria, Baba
Ramnath Yadav, Shri Ajay Kumar Yadav and Shri Munendra Singh
Advocate.
On
the question of POTA, Shri Sharma said that since the time
the law was enacted the Congress and other parties in the
Opposition were against it and we had said before the elections
that if we with our allies form a government at the Centre
we would repeal POTA. Our opposition to POTA was a principled
one and that does not mean that we have a lesser resolve
to combat terrorism. Our resolve is more firm than the BJP.
Shri Sharma said that we had opposed POTA because there
were not enough safeguards and we had expressed our apprehension
about its potential of abuse and misuse and those apprehensions
have unfortunately proven correct. This was our commitment
and the UPA government brought minor changes to the present
Unlawful activities Amendment Act and all those provisions
which are required to combat terrorism and which are lawful
and which are necessary have been included in this bill.
Internal
Turbulence
22.09.2004:
Shri Anand Sharma briefed the press.
Shri
Anand Sharma said that the internal turbulence in the BJP,
the party that has failed to settle in its new role after
their rejection in the Lok Sabha elections, had been banking
upon Ms. Uma Bharati to continue leading mass campaigns
so that she is kept away from Bhopal has suddenly announced
her decision to denounce politics to take 'sanyas'. Shri
Sharma said that the country is not interested in her inter-changing
situations. She had denounced it earlier too. It is intriguing
as to what had transpired and what has happened between
Vajpayeeji and her and between Advaniji. Ms. Uma Bharati
had been trying to make an impression by giving a patriotic
twist to certain charges before the court. The party which
has dragged the tricolour into a partisan political agitation
to prove to the people about the BJP's fervor for the tricolour.
Competitive
Politics
24.09.2004:
Shri Abhishek Singhvi addressed the media.
Shri
Abhishek Singhvi said that we and the nation are watching
with amusement the competitive politics being played out
in the BJP. We are watching with amusement the competitive
yatras of the second-rung leadership of the BJP. We are
now concerned with what would otherwise be an internal matter
for another political party, except that it certainly reflects
their true mentality and secondly, it costs the nation dear
in disruptive politics.
We
believe that its eminent defeat in Maharashtra is likely
to spell doom, disaster and disintegration for this party
with several differences. The fight with the BJP in Maharashtra
is not with us, the "Kurukshetra" for them is within their
own party.
Successful
Visit
27.09.2004:
Shri Anand Sharma addressed the media.
Shri
Anand Sharma said that the visit of the Prime Minister,
Dr. Manmohan Singh has been very successful to the United
Nations and the US. The prime minister has been able to
put across India's viewpoint on matters of national interest
and concern collectively. The visit has also underscored
the growing relations and understandings between India and
America as is reflected in the joint-statement which has
been released and the new strategic partnership index to
which India is equally committed. The removal of sanctions
of ISRO and the agreement for cooperation and technology
transfer in the space technology in the field of civilian
use as well as in the nuclear field for civilian use. And
this is an important milestone and we welcome this situation,
Shri Anand Sharma said.
Kashmir
Misrepresented
29.09.2004:
Smt. Jayanti Natarajan briefed the press.
Smt.
Jayanti Natarajan said that the Kashmir has been misrepresented
in the school textbooks being taught in Gujarat. The published
map of India shows Kashmir as the part of Pakistan. We object
to such publication which is being taught in schools in
Gujarat and request the Gujarat government to immediately
withdraw these text books and apologies for their mistake
and rectify the mistake at the earliest.
On
the issues of criminalization of politics and to bring heads
of all states under the ambit of 'Lokayukta, Smt. Natarajan
said that the Congress party is committed to stopping criminalization
of politics and on this issue the prime minister is likely
to take steps after discussing this problem with allied
partners.
BJP's
Gujarat Experiment
30.09.2004:Shri
Anand Sharma briefed the press.
Shri
Anand Sharma said that the BJP as a political party is influenced
completely by the philosophy and ideology of the RSS which
does not subscribe to a liberal democracy. In Gujarat which
has been the laboratory of the Sangh Pariwar ever since
Shri Narendra Modi was installed as the chief minister and
whatever that happened in Gujarat is well known and what
has happened elsewhere in the country during the BJP-NDA
rule is also well known, specially when we talk of interference
within institutions, particularly in the educational institutions
and their syllabus text books. In Gujarat they have recorded
something new and in the text books for the schools there
are chapters on Hitler and Mussoloni, not giving just historical
account but endorsing their approach. I think in Gujarat,
from where we had the father of the national movement, Mahatma
Gandhi his contribution and his sacrifices does not find
any big reference. The BJP's political philosophy and the
BJP leadership owes an explanation as to why they are party
and their government is a party in poisoning of young impressionable
minds by teaching them the distorted version of history.
-
Tom Vaddakan,
AICC Secretary
