By IANS,
New Delhi: Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s reaching out to party grassroots workers and activists in her plenary speech at Burari has been welcomed by delegates, some of whom suggested that they should be given a fair chance of trying for a party ticket.
Jaiprakash Gupta, a Congress leader from Nagpur, said that elected representatives of the party often consider their seats as their fiefdom and promote their relatives if they are unable to get ticket for themselves.
“It should be laid out that a person can contest from a seat for, say, three times. Only then will others toiling for the party get a chance, and the second rung leadership in the party will be promoted,” Gupta told IANS.
A Congress worker in a party-ruled state should feel “it is his government”, he said.
Sonia Gandhi in her inaugural address to the plenary Sunday said that it was necessary that the views of grassroots workers in states should be heeded because they are the “ears” and know the ground realities.
Upender Sharma, a party delegate from Punjab, said the Congress president virtually pulled up ministers for not being sensitive to the concerns of workers.
“Party workers approach leaders for implementing works concerning the people. If their calls are not heeded to, it leaves the workers disheartened,” Sharma said.
He said party general secretary Rahul Gandhi also emphasised the centrality of workers in the party’s scheme of things.
Amardeep Singh Cheema, a delegate from Punjab, suggested that the party should put a ceiling on the number of times a person can contest the polls.
He said the Congress should pay more attention to addressing the problems in implementing its flagship schemes such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.
Echoing Sonia Gandhi’s advice on the need for party leaders to abjure ostentation, Gupta said that a flashy lifestyle causes irritation among party workers.
K. Therie, a Congress delegate from Nagaland, said the political resolution should have mentioned the government’s plan to fight insurgencies more specifically.
“The demands of insurgent groups are known. The government should take quick decisions. Either it should build a consensus to find out a solution or root out insurgency firmly. The issue should not be kept hanging,” he said.
He said the country faced more internal problems than external.
Sonia Gandhi had also said that in states where the Congress was in power in alliance with others, “it was the responsibility (of party leaders) to ensure that the party organisation is heeded first and seriously attended to, and wherever necessary steps should be taken”.
In her concluding remarks Monday, Gandhi also touched on the role of those who had been working for the party without getting any rewards, and said that she had a special place in her heart for them.