Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who was in Rajasthan for two days meeting grassroots workers in Bikaner and Jaipur for a feedback on the party functioning in the state ahead of elections, said the party will not nominate candidates with criminal background and negative attitude as it had a fair chance to retain power in Rajasthan.

In a short interaction with the media at the end of the meeting held at the Birla auditorium in Jaipur, Rahul who met grassroots leaders from 24 districts on Thursday, said the interaction was immensely fruitful and Congress workers frankly put forward their views. He, however, did not disclose the actual inputs he received from them, saying it is an internal matter of the party.

It is reliably learnt that most of the complaints were against senior leaders absenting from party meetings and working at cross purposes. Partymen also complained about leaders cornering party positions sidelining the workers.

He said the party plans to bring to the forefront youth, women and rural masses. There is only one Congress formula for the entire country—a government meant for the common man. “We have been working on the single formula that maximum benefit of the government schemes must reach the people. The common people are our focal point,” he said. He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of scuttling the United Progressive Alliance government’s plan to bring the food security bill. But the  Congress would get the bill passed at any cost as it is for the benefit of the common man, he asserted.

Calling for intra-party unity, Rahul said candidate selection would be finalised by July to ensure the contestants get enough time to campaign. Aspirants who had faced two consecutive defeats would not be fielded. Young blood would be infused in such constituencies.

He lauded the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in the State for the people-oriented welfare schemes it had initiated.  The free medical diagnosis scheme and pension scheme, in particular, were appreciable, he said.
DH News Service