Rahul Gandhi: We should be careful in ticket distribution for elections

The newly appointed Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi sent a strong warning in his maiden speech after taking over the new post during the AICC session in Jaipur. Clearly it will disappoint the leaders from other parties who join Congress at election time in the hope of getting tickets.

Rahul Gandhi disapproved of granting tickets to such leaders who, he said, come to the party only to contest polls and fly out after getting defeated. "We have to change this," he told the AICC meeting in his first speech after becoming the Vice President. Amid repeated applause from party-men, Rahul Gandhi regretted that when the time of granting ticket in election comes, the grass-root worker is ignored and the ticket is given following instructions from top to someone who has arrived from some other party. He said that Congress worker should get respect and those party-men who contest as independent after denying tickets or put up independent candidates needed to be proceeded against.

Rahul Gandhi said that no other party has the capability and the depth like the Congress. He said that despite these shortcomings, Congress comes back to power because it represents "the DNA of India", a fact, which other parties representing a particular religion or caste, fail to understand.

Respect people with knowledge and understanding, Rahul Gandhi tells Congressmen

Newly appointed Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi said while speaking on the last day of the three-day AICC session in Jaipur that he would work to transform the country by decentralizing power. He also condemned elitism as "the tragedy of India" and vowed to work to expand access to power for ordinary people.

"For me, the Congress party is my life. The people of India are my life and I will fight for them," said Rahul Gandhi. Reflecting on his eight years while working for the party organization, Rahul Gandhi said country's governmental system was struck in the past and the answer lay in completely transforming it. "A handful of people control the entire political space" he said to cheering party workers. "It doesn't matter how much wisdom you have. If you don't have position, you have nothing. That's the tragedy of India," he said. Rahul Gandhi also said youths are angry because they have been excluded from the political class.

"We only empower people at the top of the system. We don't believe in empowering all the way to the bottom," said the Congress leader. He said change could be possible only if those in power started respecting and empowering people for their knowledge and skills. "All the public systems - administration, justice, education and political - are designed to keep people with knowledge out," he said. Such a system promotes mediocrity, he added.

Rahul Gandhi’s maiden speech after taking over the new party post was filled with emotions and determination and the Party has a great hope in this young leader and they expect that the party can reach new miles under his leadership.

Rahul Gandhi: Young and impatient India now demands a greater role in decision making

Rahul Gandhi, the newly-appointed Congress vice-president, said on Sunday in an impassioned speech outlining the need for the Congress to develop leadership and give prominence to grassroots workers that a complete transformation in the system is needed as young and impatient India now demands a greater role in decision making.

Rahul Gandhi in his first speech after taking over as the party vice president also asked the party to respect the youths' demands. "We don't need better systems, we need a complete transformation in the system, we need 40-50 leaders at the national level (anyone of whom can be prime minister) and seven to 10 at the state level (for chief minister)," Rahul Gandhi said.

"We should focus on creating leaders for the country," he said adding that "no other party has so much depth". But Rahul Gandhi also said there was no need to rush with change, which, he said, has to be backed by careful thought.

The Congress leader said his new responsibility was a big one and told party workers that he will treat all of them equally, will learn from their experiences but will only play a judge. "It is a big responsibility. I will work for everybody from today but I will play the judge and not the lawyer," he said. According to him, the time has come to question the "centralized, unaccountable system and decision making must shift from Delhi to the panchayats".

"Why do a handful of people control the entire political space," he asked, adding that "people with little understanding were sitting at high positions". Rahul Gandhi warned the youth was angry and feeling alienated with the existing system. "Until we start to respect and empower people, we cannot change anything in this country... all are closed systems, designed for mediocrity, mediocrity dominates," he said.

Hinting at things to come, he also said that action will be taken against party deserters who become rebels and fight as Independents. Noting that "one cannot achieve anything without hope," he said "we should not chase power, we should use power to empower people."

Rahul Gandhi struck an emotional chord when he related how his mother and the Congress president had cried when she met him Saturday night. "Last night, everyone congratulated me and hugged me. But last night, my mother came to my room and she sat near me and cried. Why did she cry.. she cried because she understands that the power that so many see is poison. She can see it because she is not attached to it (power)," he said

Rahul Gandhi’s initiative: Youth to have a significant presence in Jaipur Congress session

Congress General Secretary always argued that if the development is to be completed more and more young people should join politics. Their increased participation will cleanse the system and strengthen democracy, he stressed on several occasions. And this strong positive concept reportedly got a good acknowledgment  in the Congress party and the Jaipur Congress’ session is likely to have a good number of youth.

The party this time has emphasized on the necessity for adequate participation of youth. Of the 350 delegates invited to take part in the Chintan Shivir, about 120 delegates will be from frontal organizations like the Youth Congress and the National Students Union of India.

Young people will be given emphasis because the party is seriously looking at emerging challenges such as protests by the youth and forms of expression provided by tools such as social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. The Congress party understands the strength and influence of social media among the youngsters and so correctly wants to reach out to all age groups who use such tools.

New media or social media is something that services the information needs of crores of young people. Congress thinks it would be of worth to the government to see how it could be best leverage its own message.

In fact, reconnecting with the urban middle class and improving delivery systems including dispensation of justice to the poor is something that the party hopes to debate threadbare. These topics are clearly a fallout of the recent protests that saw apolitical groups, largely comprising the youth, who braved police batons and water cannons to protest against, what is being perceived as a callous and an unresponsive system.

Proceedings of the Chintan Shivir will start with an opening speech of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and will end on January 20 with the adoption of the Jaipur Declaration. 

MNREGA funds went to Mayawati Ministers: Rahul Gandhi

Hitting out against Mayawati for depriving the poor of the benefits of central sponsored welfare schemes, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi has said her ministers looted MNREGA money meant for providing employment to the poor. MNREGA has benefited the poor in all Congress (I) ruled states while in UP her ministers looted the money leaving nothing for the poor, said Rahul Gandhi while campaigning in the poll bound state. A few instances will highlight the misdeeds of her government on this account. One and a half lakh calendars in the name of MNREGA @ Rs 31/- each were purchased. What for? Certainly they were not for the poor. Tents of Rs. 80 lakhs and first-aid boxes of lakhs were again purchased. Even toys of Rs. 37 lakhs were purchased. In yet other case laptops were purchased from MNREGA money while poor were denied employment under the scheme. Highlighting that Mayawati’s has no real sympathy with dalits, Rahul Gandhi, urged the people to show her the door. He appealed the people to vote this time for Congress (I) and promised that a government of the poor by Congress (I) would ensure that the benefits of welfare scheme reach them.

Rahul Gandhi has been leading the Congress campaign in the poll bound Uttar Pradesh which is going to polls in February 2012.

This article is posted by pressbrief.in