Congress to ramp up election campaign, blueprint on July 23
Thursday, 21/07/2016
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/community/congress-to-ramp-up-election-campaign-blueprint-on-july-23/268923.html
New Delhi : The Congress is all set to intensify its poll campaign in the state and a blueprint will be drafted at a meeting to be held in Chandigarh on July 23.
The decision to ramp up the campaign was taken at a meeting chaired by party vice- president Rahul Gandhi at his residence this evening. Those present reviewed the progress of the party’s ongoing campaign programmes in Punjab, including Coffee with Captain and Halke vich Captain and decided to take the canvassing to another level.
“A meeting will be held in Chandigarh on July 23 to give a final shape to our future campaign strategy,” PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh said today.
While insisting that no discussion took place in today’s meeting on whether to open the lines of communication with former BJP Rajya Sabha member Navjot Singh Sidhu, he said, “Well, I have said Sidhu is welcome to join us. Even Pargat Singh is welcome if he wants to join the Congress. He was my Director, Sports when I was the CM.”
Asked if formal parleys had been held with the duo, Capt said, “No, because we do not know their exact status. Sidhu has so far only resigned from the RS and not the party. Pargat has been suspended by the SAD. But I am sure on a friendly level many Congress leaders must be engaging both Sidhu and Pargat. Formal communication has not started, no,” Capt said today.
Party leaders have expressed confidence in the pace and tone of the campaign. “Our 45- day programme is ending on August 8 and we now need to plan the next phase for which we will meet in Chandigarh,” Asha Kumari, Punjab Congress in- charge said.
She said the party is upbeat now and its graph is much higher than it was two months ago. “We now need to see which agenda to push and how to spice up our campaign further. We have many committees, including those looking at the manifesto, NREGA, Dalit issues and others. We will see what progress has been made and accordingly go forward with the next phase of the campaign,” Asha added.
There was satisfaction expressed in Kishor’s campaign plans.
