Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge with Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi during the party’s working committee meeting on December 26, 2024 in Belgaum, Karnataka at a meeting named ‘Nav Satyagraha meet’ as the party celebrates the 100th anniversary of its Belgaum session. By Mahatma Gandhi. | Photo credit: PTI
The Congress Working Committee (CWC), sitting in Belagavi, Karnataka, has passed resolutions dedicating itself to the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and opposing several policies of the central government. The meeting reiterated the party’s demand for the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah for allegedly insulting BR Ambedkar in Parliament.
These measures were adopted at an extended CWC meeting held at Veer Soudha, the site of Congress’ historic 1924 Belgaum session, presided over by Gandhi.G.
Jairam Ramesh, president of the party’s communication wing, while detailing the proposal, said, “The ideologies that strongly oppose Gandhi are ironic and even reprehensible.G During his lifetime he is now being called a hypocrite. The patronage afforded to his killers and their glorification in recent years reveal the true colors of these ideologies and institutions. The politics of polarization and division is a rejection of Gandhian principles. The CWC calls on all party members to work tirelessly in unison to preserve, protect and promote Gandhi.GA precious heritage.”
The second resolution contained several points including demand for resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah for allegedly insulting BR Ambedkar, opposition to simultaneous election plan and amendment in election conduct rules, demand for caste census and demand for 50% removal. Three rallies to reform and strengthen reservation limits and Congress.
A party leader said that AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge had informed party workers of the plan to weaken the Constitution and Dr. He asked to create awareness about the alleged insult to Ambedkar.
According to party sources, the meeting held a detailed discussion on the alleged insult of Dr Ambedkar by a BJP leader in Parliament. Mr. Kharge mentioned that the Congress had staged protests inside and outside the House and demanded Mr. Shah’s resignation several times. He asked all the members to spread awareness among the general public about the insult of Dr. Ambedkar. He said that BJP has made a clear plan to weaken the constitution and create awareness about it.
communal and ethnic hatred
The meeting reportedly discussed “widespread state-sponsored communal and caste hatred targeting minorities” and the violence in Manipur since 2023 and the “indifference” of the Prime Minister and the central government towards the state. “The Congress is firmly committed to the Places of Worship Act, 1991, which is facing unnecessary and reckless debate,” the resolution said. The meeting also decided to condemn the “suppression of peaceful demonstrations by Congress workers in UP and Assam”, in which some party workers lost their lives.
The meeting has demanded a caste census at the national level. It demanded removal of the upper limit of 50% reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. It called for GST-2.0 to be a “better and simpler” tax. They demanded legal status of Minimum Support Price (MSP) and increase in funds under MGNREGA. It demanded that the government take the opposition into confidence and allow a full debate in Parliament on the status of the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh. The meeting also urged the Center to engage with the Interim Government of Bangladesh to ensure the protection of minorities there.
Two trips are planned
The Congress announced plans to organize a Sanghatan Srijan Yatra to restructure the party organization, a “Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim Jai Sanvadhan Yatra” to create awareness about Gandhi.GIdeology and Dr. Save the Constitution National Walk against the alleged insult of Ambedkar and for the defense and protection of constitutional values.
The CWC meeting discussed in detail the alleged destruction of the Election Commission’s independence by the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.
Sources said that Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi asked the members to create awareness about the Commission obstructing free and fair election management due to BJP’s undue political influence. He gave a detailed breakdown of the votes in the Maharashtra and Haryana elections in some of the seats the Congress lost and won by narrow margins. “Many leaders feel that we have suffered injustice in the state elections. We should study the matter in detail, he said,’ said a senior leader.
According to senior leaders present at the meeting, Mr. Gandhi said that these issues need to be seriously discussed on the basis of statistics and empirical evidence. Mr. Kharge and some members also added to the discussion. However, they asked party members to reason based on statistics and first-hand experience and not to listen.
Later, Mr Ramesh told reporters that he suspected the Maharashtra and Haryana elections were “fixed”. He said that constitutional bodies including the Election Commission are working under intense political pressure and their independence has been reduced.
The CWC has passed a resolution against the alleged politicization of electoral bodies through pressure from the executive and amendment of the election code of conduct.
published – December 27, 2024 at 01:25 pm IST