AHMEDABAD: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is learnt to have told party members that there should be no reservation in naming a group that is targetted, as he reiterated that Congress stands for all religions and groups.
Rahul is learnt to have mentioned that a community, be it Christian, Muslim, Sikh, OBC or deprived classes, be named. He said Congress is not associated selectively with any group.
The remark at the meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) reportedly came after some questions from party leaders about clarity on political strategy. It has been a subject of debate in political circles and in Congress on how to address the hard polarization pitch of BJP. Rahul stated he had no confusion about the strategy.
The extended CWC, led by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul, met at the Patel Memorial here for around four hours to discuss the resolution that will be placed before the AICC session on Wednesday.
Sources said the mention of the Palestine-Israel conflict also came in for suggestions from members. Some reportedly felt the passing reference about the Modi govt’s silence on bombardment of innocents was not enough and required detailing. Rahul also pitched strongly for “social justice” issues like caste census, even as he rubbished that Congress could be confined merely to Dalits, minorities, as is the case in popular parlance.
Many members gave their views on different aspects of the resolution. Sources said senior MP from Kerala Shashi Tharoor argued that Congress should not just criticize but should be constructive and should also offer alternatives and options. There was a discussion on US tariffs on India, and also the foreign policy. MP Manish Tewari, sources said, expressed strong views on the Chinese encroachment in the Ladakh region. Some also demanded greater emphasis on the waqf bill’s criticism.
While the resolution remains under the wraps, it is learnt that the document contains all the national issues, from alleged “divisive politics” and “Hindu vs Muslim” of the BJP-RSS to “assault on the Constitution and federalism”, “compromised foreign policy” of Modi regime based on “personal branding”, with references to US, Chinese encroachment, return of hardline in Bangladesh. A key reference is likely to be on social justice, with a focus on caste census and higher quotas, and Congress’s role in the first Constitutional amendment of 1951 to safeguard reservations, implementation of Mandal commission and OBC quota in educational institutions, and Modi govt’s “dereservation” drive through privatization and contractual employment.
