Curb graft, price rise, Rahul tells Cong CMs

Speaking at the Congress Chief Ministers Conference convened by Sonia Gandhi here, he dared the Opposition to go beyond merely talking of corruption and help the Congress pass the other anti-graft Bills, to complete the framework required to fight corruption. He said, “If you want to fight corruption, create a mechanism. There are Bills pending in the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha. Let them help us pass those Bills, if they are really serious. Let us stop talking and start acting. My party is dead serious.”

Rahul Gandhi unveiled a 5-Point Agenda to fight corruption and curb price-rise, which will help the Congress to win back the trust and confidence of the people.

Breaking his silence on Adarsh scam, in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, he made known his strong disapproval of the Maharashtra Government’s decision to junk the report on Adarsh housing scam and asked it to reconsider its decision. “There is no question of protecting anybody,” he said. Andhra Pradesh will have simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, which is now expected to be held in the two states of Telangana and residuary State of Andhra Pradesh. After Rahul Gandhi’s opening remarks, each Chief Minister was given 15-20 minutes time to make a presentation.

In his presentation, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy is understood to have explained how the Congress decision on bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh would adversely affect the party’s poll prospects in Seemandhra region. It is a deeply emotional issue and people are worked up over it. It would be very difficult for the party to regain control over what was once its strongest bastion.

The Chief Minister is also understood to have listed the number of welfare schemes he had launched, including the subsidised rice and Bangaru Thalli for the Girl Child. In his one-on-one interactions, Kiran Reddy is understood to have been very candid in expressing his views on the issue of bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. But Rahul is reported to have told him that the party is committed to separate Telangana.

At the end of the deliberations, when Rahul Gandhi addressed media conference, Kiran Reddy was conspicuous by his absence, as he had to take a flight back to Hyderabad. The remaining Congress-ruled Chief Ministers were present on the occasion.

In the day-long huddle with the Congress-ruled State Chief Ministers on devising a winning strategy for the upcoming parliamentary elections, Rahul Gandhi focused on the twin issues of tackling corruption and curbing price-rise, which cost the party in the recent round of Assembly elections. The Congress Chief Ministers Conference was held in the Congress War Room at 15, Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Road in the capital.

Rahul Gandhi unveiled a 5-Point Agenda for the Congress Chief Ministers. One, all the Congress-ruled State Chief Ministers should enact Lokayukta by February 28. Two, by January 15, they have been asked to delist fruits and vegetables from Agriculture Produce Market Committee, to curb price-rise. Three, they were directed to invoke Essential Commodities Act, in order to crack down on hoarding and black-marketing. Four, they were asked to immediately implement reforms in public distribution system (PDS) and to plug leakages, as outlined in the Food Security Act, 2013. Five, they were asked to open government-operated, or women self-help groups-run, fair price shops to sell fruits, vegetables and eggs at reasonable prices to consumers.

The Congress is conscious that corruption and price-rise had hit the party’s poll prospects hardest. It is now working on a strategy that will revive its political fortunes, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in 2014.

Rahul Gandhi’s advice to the Chief Ministers was not to be defensive or apologetic on the issue of corruption. It was the Congress that passed the Lokpal Bill, after a 46-year-long wait. The Congress has also readied the framework to fight corruption, starting with Right to Information (RTI) Act. Six more related Bills are in the pipeline. The Opposition, for all its talk about corruption, never took even a single step to fight corruption. Similarly, on price rise, they should explain to people the steps taken by the government and the safety nets for the poor created by the party.

Both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi listed corruption and price-rise as the issues that resulted in the rout of the Congress in the just-concluded Assembly elections in Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.