By IANS,
New Delhi : Congress president Sonia Gandhi Wednesday asked party leaders and office bearers to contribute 20 percent of their salaries towards relief measures undertaken by the central and state governments to fight drought.
“The Congress president proposed that party MPs, legislators, ministers and other salaried office bearers voluntarily offer 20 percent of their salaries for one year from Sep 1,” said Congress general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi.
He was briefing the media after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting called to discuss drought and price-rise. The suggestion was unanimously accepted by the CWC.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also spoke. He said the situation was bad but the country had the “capacity and capability” to deal with it.
Gandhi also suggested that party workers adopt “austerity measures” so their public and private lives “reflect concern for those who are less fortunate”.
Of the 52 invitees to the meeting, 49 attended — Rahul Gandhi, Digvijay Singh and Vilasrao Deshmukh could not attend as they were out of Delhi.
The chief ministers of the Congress ruled states were also invited. Of the 12 chief ministers, 10 attended. Meghalaya Chief Minister D.D. Lapang and Mizoram’s Pu Lalthanhawla could not make it.
Home Minister P. Chidambaram and Rural Development Minister C.P. Joshi were the special invitees at the meeting.