“I will continue to press for women reservation Bill; Delhi Gang-rape victim’s death will
not go in vain”
Congress President Sonia Gandhi today addressed a meeting of
the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in Jaipur on the last day of the
Chintan Shivir that began on Friday. “I am delighted by the active
participation of our young leaders at the Shivir. The Chintan Shivir allowed us
to introspect on key national and international issues” said the Congress
President.
Referring her concern over corruption which according to her
is deep rooted in the entire system, Sonia Gandhi said “Let me reiterate corruption
at all levels is a deep rooted malice and all sections of society are affected
by it. As a party we must lead struggle to combat its effect. At the last AICC
session, corruption was major issue. I laid out a five-point action plan then
and the government has worked on it.”
“We have introduced the Lokpal bill in Parliament. We have introduced
new path-breaking legislation for addressing public grievances and to protect
whistleblowers” added the Congress President.
Touching upon the game changing policy of Direct Benefit
Transfer (DBT) Sonia Gandhi said “We also launched the historic 'Aap Ka Paisa
Aap Ke Haath' scheme, which will stop corruption by middlemen”.
Sonia Gandhi also talked about the recent gang rape incident
in Delhi that invited wide protests across the country. “The barbaric gang-rape
of a young woman in Delhi has shaken the country. She embodied the spirit of an
aspirational India. We will ensure her death will not go in vain” said the
Congress President.
“Gender issues were discussed at the Chintan Shivir. The
Congress has been at the forefront in the struggle to empower women, and it
will continue to do so. Every woman has the fundamental right to feel safe and
secure. Public figures made unacceptable remarks against women. We cannot tolerate
mindsets that lead to crimes against women and children” she underlined.
Sonia Gandhi then declared “I assure you I will continue to
press for a law for 30 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and
assemblies”.
Exhorting the leaders to go to the people and explain the
Congress’s achievements, the party leader continued “Today is also the time for
the party to introspect and see how we are better than our opponents. We need
to clearly explain to the people why we are a better political choice. We have
the support of all sections of the society. The Congress is especially
concerned about the welfare of the backward sections, women and farmers”.
She also sent out a warning; “We will fight forces that
threaten the unity and integrity of the country”.
Listing out UCongress-led UPA Govt’s achievements, the
chairperson of the claition said “Congress has worked to free the country from
poverty. Our UPA government has worked very effectively under the leadership of
Manmohan Singh”.
While defending the Centre’s economic reform measures, she
added “Global recession is having an effect on India and has forced the
government to take some hard decisions, which have hit the people” and told the
Congress leaders, “We should explain to the people the reasons for these hard
economic decisions”.
Admitting that the people have losing faith in politicians,
Sonia Gandhi reminded “People are losing faith in politicians. We have to
understand why this is happening”.
The Congress president also spoke about the need for electoral
reforms and said that the Election Commission (EC) must introduce the necessary
changes. Sonia Gandhi also asked the party members to work with unity and
discipline saying that their victory was in the victory of the party.
“There are only 15 months left to the Lok Sabha elections.
If we work well, there is no doubt we will be re-elected again. This is the
time to work hard. As the country's main political party, the people's
expectations from us is higher. We cannot let down the people who have put their
faith in us” she said while concluding her address.
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