Under a fierce summer sun, Congress President Ms Sonia Gandhi pushed up the political temperature, calling on party workers to protest against those misinterpreting the Indo-US nuclear deal.
“This is for everybody’s benefit, particularly of the poor and the farmers. But some people are twisting it,”she told Congress members gathered under a dull red and white canopy at the Narayan Utsav Sthal at Lalganj in Rae Bareli.
On day two of a three-day visit to her Parliamentary constituency, Ms Gandhi was slated to address three meetings of party workers from which the media was barred. Lalganj was her fist stop, four hours behind the 10 a.m schedule.
But she lost no time in bringing up an issue, which comes up for stormy discussions in Parliament next week.
“This deal has come through under Dr Manmohan Singh after two years of negotiations.
You have to take a tough stance against those who are misrepresenting it. India’s respect and sovereignty have not been compromised with,” she told party workers. It’s a message she is hoping they will spread to the electorate, in her constituency and beyond, as the Congress starts to prepare for the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.
Ms Gandhi knows it will not be an easy task for the party reduced to its worst showing, in this year’s state Assembly polls. She admitted as much.
“There have been some weaknesses on our part. The organisation has not functioned effectively. We need to identify sincere workers at all levels and unite them”, she said, echoing son Rahul Gandhi’s observations.
The Amethi MP on a visit to his constituency last week had called upon young party workers to be prepared for changes in the party structure and to shoulder greater responsibilities.
To many party workers bereft of all-important passes that would allow them into the venue, the leadership needs to do more. “We were told that she would interact with the common worker, but only those with a reach to the district chief were allowed in,” said a 65-yr-old who had walked from his village for a chance to speak with Ms Gandhi.
