Headlines
CWC extends Sonia's term by a year, lambasts Modi government
New Delhi, Sep 8
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Tuesday extended the term of
party president Sonia Gandhi by a year, as it launched a scathing attack
on the Narendra Modi government over a range of issues including price
rise, "servility to the RSS", problems of farmers and its policy on
Pakistan.
Sonia Gandhi set the tone for the meeting in her
inaugural remarks as she launched a frontal attack on Prime Minister
Modi, terming his promises as nothing more than "hawa baazi" (hot air)
and his government failing abysmally to match its words with deeds.
BJP
leader and union minister Smriti Irani hit hack at the Congress
president over her "hawa baazi" remark, saying "whenever Sonia Gandhi
targets us, people of India come to support Prime Minister Modi".
The
CWC meeting was necessitated with the party deciding to hold its
organisational elections by the end of next year amid the possibility
that the long-speculated elevation of party vice president Rahul Gandhi
could take place as culmination of the organisational election process.
Both
Sonia Gandhi and the CWC on Tuesday congratulated Rahul Gandhi for
leading the fight against the government on the controversial land
acquisition bill and forcing the government to back off.
The CWC,
the highest decision-making body of the Congress, also decided on
significant changes to the party's constitution such as increasing
reservation for weaker sections, including Scheduled Castes and
minorities from 20 percent to 50 percent, bringing back the practice of
active membership, inclusion of electronic membership and reducing the
term of members and office bearers from five years to three years.
The
changes are meant to strengthen the Congress base and expand its
membership at a time the party is seeking its electoral revival after a
string of reverses in assembly polls following its debacle in the Lok
Sabha elections last year.
Briefing reporters after the meeting,
Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said the party
was in support of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) but the government
should accept its proposed amendments on the bill.
He ruled out
the party's support to the government suggestion for a special session
of parliament to pass the GST bill, saying it had not taken action
against three BJP leaders whose resignations were being sought by the
Congress.
The Congress has been demanding resignation of External
Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara
Raje over their alleged help to former IPL chief Lalit Modi, who is
facing Enforcement Directorate investigations, and of Madhya Pradesh
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan over the Vyapam scam.
In her
hard-hitting speech, Sonia Gandhi accused Modi of "unedifying
flip-flops" and lack of a coherent policy vis-a-vis Pakistan.
She
said the government had chosen to disregard the will of parliament and
"displayed an inexplicable hurry to snatch land from our farmers".
She
also accused the government of being "controlled and directed" by the
Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), the ideological fountainhead of BJP.
"It
has become painfully clear that most of the pledges made by the prime
minister during his election campaign were nothing more than 'hawa
baazi'. The Modi government has failed abysmally to match words with
deeds, to match media events with actual accomplishments, to match
headlines with substance," she said.
She said the Congress needs
to mount campaigns against the assault on tribal welfare, on women and
child welfare, on labour laws, on laws that protect the environment and
forests, on RTI and "on our flagship initiatives MGNREGA which are being
systematically undermined".
Stating that the economy was on a
downslide while prices "continue on their unrelenting rise", Sonia
Gandhi accused the government of systematically eroding the autonomy and
integrity of vital institutions.
She said history was sought to be rewritten with special targeting of Jawaharlal Nehru.
She called for a transparent mechanism to recognise and reward hardworking and performing workers in the party.
The term of Sonia Gandhi, who has been at the helm for 17 years, was to end in December this year.
The
party will now write to the Election Commission informing it that it
will complete the process of organisational elections by the end of next
year.
The CWC adopted a resolution and resolved to oppose with
greater vigour "the anti-poor, anti-labourer and anti-farmer policies of
the Modi government", and called for decisive action on issues
concerning the economy and national security and against divisive and
communal forces.