Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today criticized BJP saying it believed in fanning communal passions and turning people against one another. Addressing All India Congress Committee (AICC) meeting in New Delhi this evening, without naming BJP Prime Ministerial candidate, Mr. Gandhi said the structures of democracy will not be handed over to one person. Mr Gandhi said Congress strongly favours passage of six anti-corruption bills pending before Parliament in the next three months to put in place a broad-based anti- corruption framework. He said ten years of stability by UPA have given vast opportunities to youth in the country.
Mr. Gandhi also said Congress will distribute tickets in 15 parliamentary seats with the consent of party workers, block and district office bearers and if this system succeeds then party will apply it to all assembly and Lok Sabha ticket distribution process. He also pitched for increasing the quota of subsidized LPG cylinders from nine to twelve and urged the Prime Minister to consider it in public interest.
Referring to announcement of Prime Ministerial candidate before elections, Mr Gandhi said that in a Parliamentary system, Prime Minister is chosen by the MPs and Congress has been following the same tradition. He said Congress should transform itself by catering to the aspirations of the common man as the coming elections are a turning point in the country's journey.
Earlier in the day, addressing the meeting, Congress President Sonia Gandhi said, her party would fight for the upkeep of its secular tradition saying that it is not a political compulsion but a matter of faith for the party. She said, the party is ready and prepared to take on the battle ahead.
Amid chorus for declaring Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi as its Prime Ministerial candidate, Mrs Gandhi categorically said, the Congress Working Committee decision on Rahul Gandhi is final. She also appealed to all parties to rise above political considerations to help pass anti-graft Bills pending in Parliament.
In his address, Congress leader and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh asked the party workers not to lose heart and learn lessons from the debacle in recently held Assembly polls. Dr Singh said, if the party prepares itself well and presents UPA government's achievements in proper perspective, it would be able to win the upcoming elections. He also asked the people to compare facts related to development claimed by the opposition ruled states with that of Congress ruled states before arriving at any conclusion.
Giving details of the Congress-led UPA rule, the Prime Minister said, the country witnessed a record GDP growth of 8.6 per cent in the first seven years. On corruption, Dr. Singh said, the government has taken several important legislative measures like RTI and Lokpal to deal with it.
At the end of the session, Congress also passed a resolution on secularism, corruption, security, price rise economy, employment and women.
