Rajiv Nagar (Hyderabad), January 23
The Congress party has once again committed to provide 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state legislatures.

“We will make every effort to see that 33 per cent reservation for our women in Parliament and state legislatures happens in the near future,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told the plenary of the All-India Congress Committee here today.

He regretted that the party had not been able to have the women’s Reservation Bill passed.

Except for this, the coalition government, which he called “a new experience” for the Congress, had already fulfilled most of the commitments made in the common minimum programme (CMP).

“One can say with pride that the measures taken by the government in the past 20 months are going to have a lasting impact — on our polity, society, legal framework, governance, economy, weaker sections, minorities, women and on our relations with neighbours,” he said.

Besides bringing in social harmony, the government achieved a growth rate of over 7 per cent. But what will transform the face of India and lives of ordinary people are the five initiatives — National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, National Rural Health Mission, Urban Renewal Mission, Grammen Vidyutikaran Yojana and Bharat Nirman, the Prime Minister explained.

While every village will have a pucca road, road, drinking water, electricity and a telephone by 2009, massive investment of Rs 170,000 crore will flow into the National Highway Programme in the next seven years.

“Our airports are buzzing with flights. Airports too are getting modernised, with Hyderabad and Bangalore airports soon getting new ones.

New ports are under development. The Railways are not only performing admirably but have an ambitious freight corridor project,” Manmohan Singh said.

He claimed that his government had done more for the empowerment of SCs, STs, OBCs and minorities than any other government in recent memory.

Stating that the national security environment at home had also improved in the Congress regime, the Prime Minister claimed his government had brought peace and security to the North East, to Jammu and Kashmir and to various troubled regions.

“We have begun well. In fact, in spite of difficulties and unnecessary hurdles raised by our opponents, we have given a start which is enviable,” he added. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who echoed the party chief Sonia Gandhi’s concerns, told the delegates that many states, where the benefits of the schemes and programmes would go in a large measure, were not under the rule of the Congress governments.

“Our political rivals will, therefore, be implementing these and will try to take credit for it. I say this — and say it with emphasis — that this cannot be allowed,” he asserted.

Urging every Congress worker to educate the public about “our role” in launching all these programmes, Dr Manmohan Singh also asked the cadre to take ownership of these schemes and make sure they were implemented transparently and efficiently.

“The party has a special responsibility on both counts in states where we are not in office,” he reminded the AICC delegates.