Sonia Gandhi Discusses Governance With CMs from Cong-Ruled States

The issue of NRC and strengthening of the Northeastern Coordination Committee figured in the meeting.

Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi, senior party leader Manmohan Singh and other leaders from North-Eastern states, pose for a photograph in New Delhi on Friday, 13 September.

(Photo: PTI) 

Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Friday, 13 September, met chief ministers from the Congress-ruled states and party leaders to ensure effective coordination between the organisation and the governments in implementing the commitments made in the manifesto, according to PTI.

The issue of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), and strengthening of the Northeastern Coordination Committee also figured in the meeting, IANS reported.

Amarinder Singh (Punjab), Ashok Gehlot (Rajasthan), Kamal Nath (Madhya Pradesh), Bhupesh Baghel (Chhattisgarh) and V Narayanasamy (Puducherry) met Gandhi at her residence in New Delhi.

Pradesh Congress Committee chiefs of Congress-ruled states, including Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot, were present during the meeting with Gandhi, PTI quoted sources as saying.

Chhattisgarh Congress chief Mohan Markam was the only PCC chief among these states who was not present due to the ensuing bypoll in Dantewada.

Emphasis on ‘Alternate Governance’ Model

Party sources said coordination committees or other such mechanisms will be set up in Congress-ruled states of Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Puducherry.

The sources added that the state governments have been told to depute ministers at party offices on roster basis to meet people and resolve their grievances.

Gandhi asked the party's governments to assign duties on regular basis to ministers to sit at Pradesh Congress Committee offices to address public grievances. The BJP had also evolved a similar mechanism at the Centre after assuming power.

The Congress chief emphasized that the "alternate governance" model, which is people-centric and inclusive, put forth by these states, coupled with the national agitational endeavour of the party, were the most effective way to defeat the "anti-people" governments of the BJP, a party statement said.

The various steps that Congress state governments had undertaken or could take to mitigate the "disastrous" impact of the current economic slowdown were also discussed and the need to act on them with urgency was felt, it said.

‘Discussed Issues of Northeastern States’

After the meeting, secretary in-charge of the northeastern states Luizinho Faleiro told reporters that during the meeting, the leaders discussed problems faced by the northeastern states.

“One thing has been decided in the meeting to strengthen and consolidate Northeast Coordination Committee. We have also decided to put up a prominent office in Guwahati and we have also decided that we will meet and discuss periodically so that the problems of the northeastern states that are growing and mounting today have to be stressed out and we have come together in unity.” 

Faleiro, as quoted by IANS 

Faleiro further said that the NRC issue in Assam and other issues pertaining to the Citizenship Amendment Bill, which was opposed in the Rajya Sabha and is a part of the BJP manifesto, were also discussed threadbare.

The Congress is keen on reversing its fortunes in more states after having received the worst-ever drubbing in the recent general elections.

Sonia Gandhi, who took over the reins of the party after son Rahul Gandhi quit as its chief, has taken up the challenge of bringing the Congress back to power.

(With inputs from PTI and IANS)