New Delhi, March 11
Although the Congress has got into poll mode, party president Sonia Gandhi today indicated there were no plans to hold an early election.
Addressing the general body meeting of the Congress parliamentary party, Sonia Gandhi asked MPs to “prepare for the Lok Sabha polls next year” but asked the party to get ready for the upcoming Assembly elections due in Delhi, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh over the next few months.
Having already set the agenda for the Assembly and general elections, the Congress president urged party leaders to reach out to people and publicise the “pro-farmer and pro-poor” budget and other achievements of the UPA government. Sonia Gandhi set the tone of the party’s campaign
plank in her speech last Sunday where she highlighted the Rs 60,000-crore farm loan waiver announced in the Union Budget, as the chief talking point.
Showing no hurry for advancing the general elections, she said, “Inevitably, we also have to start preparing for the Lok Sabha polls next year.
We will go into these polls with an outstanding record of achievements, both in terms of government programmes and of legislations enacted. These achievements should earn for us the trust and mandate of the people once again. These achievements also give us a firm sense of self-confidence to take on our political opponents”. She made no mention of the Indo-US nuclear deal in her speech.
Urging everybody to ensure that the Congress gets credit for the loan waiver and other achievements, she said the party plans to hold rallies and conventions in all states and districts for this purpose and asked the MPs to be actively involved in them.
Taking a dig at her political opponents, Sonia Gandhi said many parties were trying to take credit for what had been acheived through this budget but emphasised that “it is our party and our government alone that has taken these bold measures.”
Referring to the controversial Women’s Reservation Bill, Sonia Gandhi said the Prime Minister had already given assurance that he would attempt to forge a consensus on it among all political parties after March 20 when the Parlaiment goes into recess. “Hopefully, we will succeed in this effort,” she added.
Describing the recent Assembly election results as disappointing, Sonia Gandhi pointed out “The simple lesson is that we need much harder work and meticulous preparation, much more careful selection of our candidates and strategies, much greater unity and discipline”. Referring to the upcoming Assembly polls, she also asked party leaders to ensure greater unity among the cadres.
