Rahul invites state Cong MLAs, Capt-Bajwa feud not on agenda
Saturday, 31/01/2015
http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
Cong vice-chief to seek their views on strengthening party.
RAHUL HAD EARLIER HELD A MEETING WITH GENERAL SECRETARIES OF THE ALL-INDIA CONGRESS COMMITTEE AND CHIEFS OF CONGRESS FRONTAL WINGS LAST DECEMBER
CHANDIGARH: Congress vicepresident Rahul Gandhi, who has been holding consultations with the state leaders to arrest the party’s declining graph, has invited over 20 Punjab MLAs to New Delhi on February 2.
Rahul will consult the legislators on how to take on the Narendra Modi government at the Centre on various issues, such as the recent amendments in the land acquisition act.
The MLAs were extended Rahul’s invite by Harish Chaudhary, secretary incharge for Punjab.
“For the first meeting on February 2, we have invited over 20 MLAs. The rest will be invited at the second meeting to be held in a few days or next week,” Chaudhary said.
Though the state unit of the party is witnessing intense infighting between Punjab Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa and former CM Capt Amarinder Singh, who is openly demanding the former’s removal, Chaudhary said the issue was not on the agenda of the meeting.
CONSULTATIVE EXERCISE
“It is a consultative exercise being held at the national level wherein the Congress vice-president is meeting party leaders in groups. In the last two months, he has held similar interactions with leaders from most other states. They will be asked to carry it forward to the district and block levels,” Chaudhary added.
According to sources, the party also plans to come up with a compilation of the suggestions from these consultations in a booklet form after the process closes.
PREVIOUS MEETING
The Congress vice-president had earlier held a meeting with general secretaries of the All-India Congress Committee and chiefs of Congress’s frontal wings like Mahila Congress, Youth Congress, National Students Union of India and Seva Dal in December and asked them to reach out to workers at the district and block levels for feedback on how to bring a turnaround in the party after successive poll debacles by conveying the core ideology of the Congress among people and cadres more effectively.