New Delhi, December 28
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the country was facing “big challenges” like regionalism, terrorism, Maoist insurgency and communalism and the Congress alone had the capability of tackling all these.
His remarks on regionalism as one of the big challenges before the country assume significance against the backdrop of raging political storm over Telangana in Andhra Pradesh, which has the Congress split right in the middle.
Speaking at a ceremony to lay the foundation stone of the party’s new headquarters at the Kotla road in Central Delhi, he said: “Our party is ready to accommodate every opinion within the framework of the Constitution. We believe in dialogue. We believe in resolving grievances and difficulties of people having different views through dialogue.”
Recalling Jawaharlal Nehru, he said his remarks that the nation needed Congress as never before were relevant even today. Praising Congress president Sonia Gandhi, he said the party had “gained strength under her leadership”.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who laid the foundation stone of the new party headquarters building, described the Congress as a “national revolution” that led the country to Independence from imperialist rule.
Addressing Congressmen on the occasion of the Indian National Congress entering its 125th year, she said, “The party has always promoted secularism through a consensual approach and has stood for protection of rights of the poor. It has also played a major role in laying the foundation of modern India.”
The Congress, which began its yearlong celebrations to mark 125 years of its formation, will later shift to the new headquarters named after the late Prime Minister from its present headquarters at 24, Akbar Road.
The party has drawn up elaborate programmes for year-long celebrations and its units at the block, district and state levels have been asked to hold special functions to mobilise cadres. The function saw attendance of party’s top brass, however, one of the conspicuous absentees was party’s general secretary Rahul Gandhi.
Senior party leaders Pranab Mukherjee, AK Antony, Motilal Vora, along with Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Congress chief Jaiprakash Aggarwal, were seated on the stage with the Congress president and the Prime Minister.
The Congress president was also all praise for Manmohan Singh, hailing him for leading the country with “great wisdom and sagacity” and bringing respect both at home and abroad.
She said the hard work and dedication of the party workers without wavering from basic ideals had brought the party back to power at the Centre for the second time, shaking off “difficult times” when its very existence was questioned.
Gandhi paid tributes to Pandit Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, but made no reference to PV Narasimha Rao, the Congress Prime Minister between 1991 and 1996.
Giving credit to Rajiv Gandhi for the economic liberalisation in the Narasimha Rao regime when Manmohan Singh was the Finance Minister, she said: “Rajivji did not live to see the India of his dreams become a reality, but he left his personal imprint on the party’s manifesto of 1991.”
“This became the basis of our
economic polices in the five years thereafter. These policies imparted a new strength and direction to our economy and society,” she said recalling that the late leader had also spoken of a “new vision for a 21st century India”.
Meanwhile, listing achievements of the Congress-led UPA government, the Prime Minister said the focus of his government was on the welfare of the poor and protection of human rights. “Economic stability has also been the focus area of the party and it is our endeavour to fulfil the dreams of Rajiv Gandhi in the 21st century,” he said.
