Congress gears up for agitation against govt
In a move to energise the party in the aftermath of the worst-ever debacle in the last parliamentary elections, Congress has decided to launch a massive agitation against the Bharatiya Janata Party governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh.
The party will organise several protests and awareness programmes from November 5 the highlight the current economic recession that has hit the people. The programmes will end with a ‘Maha Rally’ which will be attended by Congress leaders and workers, including party president Sonia Gandhi and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Delhi. Presently abroad on a personal visit, Rahul Gandhi is likely to come back to address the rally.
This was disclosed to media persons by senior Congress leader and former Union minister Ajay Maken in the presence of UP Congress chief Ajay Kumar ‘Lallu’ at UPCC headquarters in Lucknow on Friday.
The two leaders alleged that during the present BJP dispensation, the country’s economy was in tatters with 91 lakh people losing jobs in the past three years.
Speaking to media persons, Maken said the country’s economy, which was at fifth place when the United Progressive Alliance handed over reins to the National Democratic Alliance in 2014, but in the next five years it slipped to the seventh place.
“The present regime is destroying the financial institutions of the country and even Reserve Bank of India had to lend funds to save the government,” he pointed out.
Maken was very critical of the BJP government over its agreement on Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RECP) on the premise that it would allow free trade between 15 countries, including China. “The future of our manufacturers is doomed if the country signs the RECP agreement as Chinese items will freely enter Indian markets,” he said.
Meanwhile, UP Congress chief Ajay Kumar ‘Lallu’ said the party would launch a 10-day agitation against the BJP’s failure on the economic front, starting from November 5.
“On November 5, Congress district presidents will speak to the media and on the next two days, pamphlets will be distributed. On November 8 and 9, street corner meetings will be held and the next day, processions will be taken out at all districts where people will beat utensils to raise the issue and spread awareness of the problems faced by masses due to government-induced economic slowdown,” Lallu said.
The UP Congress chief said that on November 11, seminars would be held at schools and on November 12 and 13, meetings would be held on issues of youth and farmers.
“On November 14, Congress will hold a programme on the birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru and on November 15, massive demonstrations will be held at all district headquarters,” Lallu said.
