Date:12/11/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/11/12/stories/2007111253860800.htm

National

Congressmen bank on Rahul to rejuvenate party

Special Correspondent

U.P. Coordination Committee meeting today

Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi

LUCKNOW: With the inaugural meeting of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Coordination Committee being held here on Monday, Congressmen have pinned their hopes on the Amethi Member of Parliament, Rahul Gandhi, to infuse life in the moribund organisational structure of the party. The meeting is expected to give a direction to the party’s strategy in U.P. for the next Lok Sabha elections.

Mr. Gandhi, who is a member of the 32-member Coordination Committee (10 members were inducted later), is reaching the State capital tomorrow to attend the meeting. Apart from his presence in the meeting, the Congress General Secretary will meet 16 delegations during his day-long stay in the Pradesh Congress headquarters. These delegations have been drawn from sitting MPs and MLAs belonging to U.P., former MPs, MLAs and MLCs, leaders of frontal organisations and party cells.

Uttar Pradesh Congress president, Rita Bahuguna-Joshi told newsmen that Mr. Gandhi will interact with about 1500 partymen from different parts of the State. Dr. Joshi clarified that no straight jacket agenda has been fixed for tomorrow’s meeting. She said deliberations would essentially revolve around two vital aspects of organisation and programme.

The UP Congress Committee chief expressed the optimism that Mr. Gandhi’s presence, along with the possibility of him getting actively involved in the exercise to strengthen the organisational framework was just the right prescription to revive the party.

Dr. Joshi said the meeting will also deliberate on the status of the Central Government’s welfare programmes in U.P., particularly the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP).

All India Congress Committee General Secretary and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Digvijay Singh reached Lucknow on Sunday and took stock of the arrangements being made for Monday’s meet. Mr. Singh, who is the AICC in charge of UP affairs, met the UPCC president and other senior leaders.

The Coordination Committee was constituted by the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, for better coordination between the different sections of the party. It includes three Union Ministers from U.P., Sri Prakash Jaiswal, Mahabir Prasad and Akhilesh Das.