MPCC wants no bouquets for Ministers

By Arunkumar Bhatt

MUMBAI, DEC. 31. The Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president, Mr. Govindrao Adik, has forbidden Ministers of his party in the ruling Democratic Front Government from accepting bouquets and garlands in view of drought in the State.

In his eight-page order spelling out a code of conduct from the New Year for the Congress Ministers, Mr. Adik has made it mandatory for the Ministers to spend a whole day every month in the MPCC office so that party workers and people can meet them. This is a ``new circuit in his remote control'', said a Minister but Mr. Adik maintained that the order was aimed at ensuring that the Ministers spared time for invigorating the party.

The idea is that the people should go to the Congress headquarters rather than the Mantralaya, seat of the Government. Mr. Adik wants at least one Minister in the party office everyday. The Chief Minister, Mr. Vilasrao Deshmukh, is scheduled to be available to the party workers and people on January 5 from morning to evening.

The Ministers should also visit the district Congress office in their respective constituencies once a month and meet the people there, says the state party presidential order. They should not hold their `darbars' in circuit houses while being on tour but meet people at the party's local office for at least one hour. They should keep the office-bearers of the local units posted about programmes of their visits. The Ministers should take the local Congress president with them while visiting a district. This is because the Ministers have forgotten the party organisation. They should remember that they are enjoying power because of the party and party work is as important as government work, said an MPCC office-bearer.

The code of conduct has been conveyed to the DCC presidents too and they have been directed not to spend any money on felicitating the Ministers and send he saved amount to the party.

Mr. Adik has called upon the Ministers to submit reports about what they have done for the party after assuming office. These reports would be vetted and sent to the Congress leader, Ms. Sonia Gandhi.

A meeting of newly- elected AICC members from Maharashtra passed a resolution authorising Ms. Gandhi to fill the seats in the party's State working committee.

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