Press Releases

He is expected to highlight the performance of his four-year-old government and emphasise how and why the Indo-US nuclear deal is beneficial to the country in the long term.

At the end of the two-day debate, he is also expected to reply to it before the motion is put to vote.

Rahul Gandhi, along with top leaders of the Congress as also its supporting parties are expected to participate in the discussion. These include Congress ministers P. Chidambaram, Kapil Sibal and Saifuddin Soz, and RJD chief Lalu Prasad, who was part of the UPA-Left coordination committee.

Other union ministers Kapil Sibal, Vayalar Ravi, Ram Vilas Paswan, Pawan Kumar Bansal, Anand Sharma, Praful Patel, M Ramadass, Sachin Pilot, Krishna Tirath and Kanimozhi will also speak on the behalf of the UPA. External affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee, the leader of Lok Sabha, could be intervening in the two-day long discussion.

On the eve of the trust motion, national security adviser M.K. Narayanan and foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon briefed most of the UPA speakers, including Rahul Gandhi, on the intricate details of nuclear deal to prepare them well for the debate.

Narayanan and Menon told them about the nuances and details of the Indo-US nuclear deal and the draft safeguards agreement during the nearly hour-long session at the South Bloc here.

The briefing to equip key speakers with intricate details of the deal and its benefits came in the backdrop of Left parties and opposition NDA planning to pin down the government on the issue. Gurudas Dasgupta of the CPI and Rupchand Pal and Mohd Salim from CPM would utilise the opportunity offered by the trust vote to attack the government and the deal

"In certain sectors like textiles, leather, marine products and handicraft, there is a net decline in exports, which has led to job losses. It was estimated that unless remedial measures are taken, the total job losses could be as high as two million," minister of state for commerce Jairam Ramesh told Rajya Sabha.

The government was expecting a loss of four to five lakh in the textile sector. But the latest statistics suggest that the problem is more acute that what was anticipated. That the government is concerned over the worsening employment scenario was evident when prime minister Manmohan Singh promised measures to tackle the situation. The government is certain to experience the impact of the job cut. Reports from Tamil Nadu say that almost half of the powerloom units in the state have closed shop. Tamil Nadu has the second largest aggregation of powerloom units. Maharashtra has eight lakh units while Gujarat has 4.5 lakh units. The rivals of the ruling alliance at the Centre are sure to put the blame of job cuts on the Centre's failure to put a policy in place for meeting the challenges faced by exporters.

The Congress has reasons to be worried as the development coincides with the spiralling prices of food items. With the NDA and the Left have unleashed a campaign against the government, the Congress fears that it will not be in a position to cash in on the feel good factor over the budget.

A significant section of the Congress leadership is of the view that the talk about high growth will not translate into votes unless the government takes some measures to contain the rising prices of essential items.

The growing unease among the middle class is another cause of concern for the party. The party on Wednesday amplified the demand of the middle class to cut interest rates on home loans. "The Indian Banking Association (IBA) should convene a meeting of all its members and ask them and follow the example set by Central Bank of India and Allahabad Bank which cut interest rate on home loans."

Finance minister P Chidambaram had said on March 6 that interest rates on home loans up to Rs 20 lakh should be brought down, but added that Reserve Bank of India had to take a final call on the matter.

As spokesman Manish Tiwari put it, "What is constitutionally right cannot be morally wrong." He laid the blame for the failure to prove the majority on "a few friends" who did not keep their word.

As the Shillong theatre unfolds, Congress, instead of being on the backfoot, is confidently hoping to recapture power. Congress managers feel the rival alliance is living on a razor's edge with just 31 MLAs out of 59. It is confident of winning a by-poll on April 22, which would narrow the gulf further. The MPA has 14 NCP MLAs, 11 from UDP, two from Hill State People's Democratic Party (HSPDP), one each from BJP and Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) and two independents.

Indications are that Congress might keep an eye on KHNAM which was a partner in the previous party-led government and the two independents. The eagerness to trip the rivals is even more in the face of NCP, an ally, being the party-pooper.

Lapang, while conceding his lack of numbers, said, "The MPA regime will last only a few months. The alliance is a bundle of contradictions and Congress will be back in power soon because it is the only party that can ensure stability."

Sangma, however, was smiling with confidence, having survived the intrigues witnessed in the state since March 10. "We have decided on the ministerial berths," he said.

"He (Rahul Gandhi) has mandated that we create an open membership culture in the party, as against the current system, which to a great extent is access-controlled," Youth Congress president Ashok Tanwar told this newspaper.

For telcos, it's clearly a recognition of their growing penetration at the grass roots levels. "Mobile telephony has a presence in every nook and corner of the country. The reach is particularly impressive among the youth. So for mass-based political organisations, it's the best medium to approach youth for recruitment," a senior Reliance Comunications executive said.

At present, according to department of telecommunications figures, India has more than 200 million mobile connections. According to estimates by London-based research organisation Centre for Telecom Research (CTR), the country will have 600 million mobile telephone connections by 2011.

The growing depoliticisation of Indian youth is the other priority issue that the AICC general secretary is concerned about, says Mr Tanwar. "For the next few months, Mr Gandhi's key objective is to reach out to youth in various deprived areas, establish a connect and understand their aspirations. The way we operate will be modulated based on this feedback," he said.

This was what led the young Mr Gandhi to choose Orissa for his first tour after taking charge as a party general secretary. "He is convinced of the immense leadership potential of tribal youth," Mr Tanwar said. Later this month, Rahul Gandhi will tour tribal-dominated districts in Karnataka.

The Youth Congress is also working on a campaign pitch to attract younger people to join politics. "We want to tell the youth that politics can be as good and credible a career as anything else. We are working on strategies to attract and retain talent in the Youth Congress. A performance-based appraisal system is also on the cards to ensure youngsters have a growth chart within the party," Mr Tanwar said.

Sports, especially soccer and hockey, are the other areas that command Mr Gandhi's attention nowadays. He strongly feels that soccer and hockey can become viable platforms to identify with the tribal youth. As part of this aggressive drive, he visited the Pamposh Hockey Institute in Orissa to boost player morale. Mr Gandhi has himself been a soccer player in his university days.

By Venkat Parsa

New Delhi, March 18: AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi is likely to make his first foray into the South in the key election-going state of Karnataka on March 23, as a continuation of the "Discovery of India" mission he launched in Orissa earlier this month. The Congress is also looking forward to galvanising the party machinery ahead of the crucial electoral battle likely to be held in May for the Karnataka Assembly.

Mr Gandhi made it a point to begin his nationwide tour from Opposition-ruled Orissa, one of the most backward states in the country, which has large tribal tracts and had witnessed starvation deaths some years ago. He had also created quite a stir recently by visiting the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh, which was facing an acute agrarian crisis, where he spent a night with a dalit family.

Party sources indicated that after Karnataka, Mr Gandhi was likely to tour some other states as well. The sources said that Mr Gandhi's tour of Karnataka was part of the effort to prepare the party for the Assembly elections. In Karnataka, the Congress faces a challenge from the BJP, which was the single-largest party in the outgoing Assembly, with the Congress in second place and the Janata Dal (Secular) led by former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda coming a poor third. The BJP is confident that riding the crest of sympathy for former chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, whose lingayat community comprises about 19 per cent of the state's population, the party could have a good chance to capture power on its own.

It is against this backdrop that the Congress is making all-out efforts to present a united face in order to return to power in the state. Karnataka PCC president M. Mallikarjuna Kharge, a respected dalit leader, has been made chairman of the pradesh election committee. Former Maharashtra governor S.M. Krishna has been named pradesh election management and coordination committee chairman. Former deputy chief minister H. Siddharamaiah will lead the pradesh campaign committee. AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka Prithviraj Chavan has been made pradesh coordination committee chairman.

In the process, the Congress put together a rainbow coalition of a dalit (Mr Kharge), a vokkaligga (Mr S.M. Krishna) and a backward class person (Mr H. Siddharamaiah). Former deputy chief minister M.P. Prakash, who recently joined the Congress, is a lingayat.

The senior Congress leader had been sworn in as the Chief Minister for a fourth term on March 10.

The Congress-led government in the state was scheduled for a floor test in the Assembly on Wednesday as Governor SS Sidhu had asked Lapang was to prove his majority within 10 days.

The Congress has only 28 MLAs in the 60-member House, two short of a majority. The Opposition, Meghalaya Progressive Alliance, led by the NCP, has been claiming the support of 31 MLAs.

MPA leader Dr Donkuper Roy immediately staked claim to form the next government. In all likelihood, an MPA Government will be sworn in later on Wednesday.

"There was a time in India when we used to consider knowledge as the most important thing. But nowadays what matters most is qualification," Gandhi said at a farmers' conference in New Delhi.

He cited an example from his constituency Amethi where some farmers had said that a certain project was not feasible which later turned out to be true after a survey was carried out.

"The knowledge is still there. But it is not respected.

If some World Bank expert is behind it then we respect it as there are some big names are behind it," he said.

Observing that knowledge is dynamic, he said it is constantly changing while qualifications are static, he said.

Reiterating the need to understand ground realities, the Gandhi family scion said, "if you are closer to people only then you are more answerable to them".

The young MP from Amethi was speaking at a conference where farmers listed their ground-level problems and asked for strengthening of Panchayati Raj institutions so that welfare policies can trickle down to villagers.

Some of them also sought an increase in the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for crops and inter-linking of rivers.

He has met the Dalit family, whose five members were shot dead by criminals over a land dispute in Ameenabad on Wednesday night.

Rahul Gandhi's visit is being seen as an attempt to strengthen the Congress party's base among Dalits ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections.

The ruling Bahujan Samaj Party had reacted sharply to Rahul spending a night with a Dalit family in Purejaisingh village under Bahadurgarh block in his Parliamentary constituency of Amethi on January 26.

Chief Minister Mayawati had charged the Congress with trying to woo the Dalits only for political gains but doing nothing for them.

Sheila's assurance

AICC member Naresh Kumar, who led the delegation, said the way the Delhi Government had given ownership rights for residential plots given to landless farmers under the 20-Point Programme, so the landless should be given ownership rights for the farm land that had been given to them under the scheme.

Ms. Dikshit assured the delegation that she would look into their demands and give them ownership rights for their land. She said the Congress had always worked for the welfare of the landless, poor, farmers, Dalits, small traders and minorities.

Mr. Kumar also led a delegation to Delhi's Police Commissioner Y. S. Dadwal to seek a ban on holding functions in the banquet halls in rural areas beyond 9 p.m. They also demanded a police check on playing of loud music and use of disc jockeys at such parties after 10 p.m. as it was a public nuisance and violated the Supreme Court orders.

The delegation said an end to late night party culture would also result in reduction in consumption of liquor in rural areas, lead to saving of money of the rural population and lower incidence of crime and accidents.

The historic occasion, Sonia Gandhi is the first Congress president to complete 10 years in office, was marked by a simple and brief ceremony at her residence where Prime Minister Manmohan Singh presented her with a bouquet, a shawl, a plaque and a copy of the resolution adopted by the CWC yesterday which acknowledged her "dynamic and courageous leadership" and her contribution in revitalising the party.

Her son and AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi was among the leaders who greeted her.

While Sonia Gandhi left for Andhra Pradesh soon after this ceremony, the celebrations outside her residence continued till much later. Usual scenes of dancing and slogan shouting workers distributing sweets were witnessed as a large number of women began assembling from early morning to greet the Congress president.

Mahila Congress president Prabha Thakur said, "We are here to congratulate her for this achievement. This is a dual achievement. She is the first person to enjoy office for such a long tenure and she is the first woman to achieve it."

As for Sonia Gandhi, it has been a long and unforgettable journey. She took over the party when it was going through a dark period and has since steered it both as an opposition and ruling party. As has been acknowledged by her party colleagues, her first and foremost contribution has been that she was able to keep the party united. She followed it up by building successful alliances and bringing the grand old party back to power after a long stint in the wilderness.

Though she was credited with the party's victory in the last Lok Sabha election, she declined to accept the Prime Minister's post, an act, which enhanced her position in the country and the international community. As UPA chairpersons she has been burdened with the task of managing a coalition, which is also a first for any Congress president as it was first time that the grand old party came to power with the help of smaller parties.

Interestingly, the issue of the premature dissolution of the Lok Sabha was initially linked intimately to the fate of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal. Faced with the Left Front's relentless opposition to the deal and its threat to bring the government down should it be `operationalised', the core of the establishment did feel that the only way to `call the Left's bluff' was to go ahead with the deal and face `mid-term elections'.

It is crystal clear that the Left is determined to contest the next general election in opposition to the Congress and in partnership with what it calls the `third alternative'. Surely it cannot part company with the UPA only a day before the notification for the 2009 election Congress must take a tricky call. When to call the general election and how? INDER MALHOTRA

But second thoughts prevailed as the Congress's important allies in the ruling United Progressive Alliance refused to have elections even a day earlier than in April-May 2009. The prime minister had to make that famous phone call to the US president reporting `difficulty' in the deal's progress.

Of late, especially since the start of Parliament's budget session and the completion of the negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency on an India-specific nuclear safeguards agreement, Delhi has been agog with reports that the government is `determined' to push through the deal `regardless of the consequences'. For its part, the Left has been reaffirming that the UPA must `choose between the deal and the government'. This clearly presages a head-on clash. But then, in true Congress style, there are also soothing, authoritative voices favouring `widest possible consen sus', and ruling out a `time-frame' for finalising the deal.

Union commerce and industry minister, Kamal Nath, defended the legislation saying it was "providing growth in employment" and was "an important engine of the economy". He also held that it was not a "policy" of the government but an "Act" passed by the Parliament and said if there were cases of "abuse or misuse" the government would look into it.

In reply to a question, he said that there no proposal before the government to amend the Act was it was "working well". However, these assurances did not satisfy the agitated members in the House. CPM leader Sitaram Yechury demanded a full discussion on the issue (which was agreed to by the Chair), the BJP MP Venkaiah Naidu called for an all party meeting and Congress leader Santhosh Bagrodia and others registered a strong protest against the government.

Mr Kamal Nath, who was taking questions and supplementaries on the matter, was first met with criticism from the Left parties and the BJP who disrupted his reply by describing SEZs as "real estate" businesses. However, soon Congress members joined the fray with leaders such as Santosh Bagrodia, Janardhana Poojary, Mabel Rebello and Hanumantha Rao attacking the SEZ act.

Mr Bagrodia noted that "cinema halls" and "amusement parks" were coming up in SEZs in violation of norms and added that under the pretext of setting up such zones "land grabbing" was taking place. Some other Congress members also repeated the charge about SEZs becoming a hub for real estate businesses.

After the din created by these protests subsided, Mr Nath replied that the SEZ Act was passed by the House and that it was not a policy. "If there is misuse or abuse, we will be very happy to look into it if specific cases are pointed out," the minister said.

He also said that the Economic Survey of the government had dispelled concerns bout SEZs and shown that there was "very, very substantial gain". He said exports from SEZs stood at Rs 34,615 crore in the last fiscal, up from Rs 22,840 crore in 2005-06 and Rs 18,314 crore in 2004-05. "There is a growth of 89 per cent in two years," Mr Nath said adding that in the current fiscal, the export level had reached Rs 40,000 crore.

He said that under the SEZ Act, 439 formal approvals had been granted for setting up the zones spread over 60,168 hectares in 22 states. Out of these 202 had been notified, he said and pointed out that until the last year, the total incremental employment in all the SEZs was 1.46 lakh. He also said new generation SEZs had brought in investment worth Rs 70,225 crore out of which Rs 67,347 crore had been made in SEZs notified under the SEZ Act, 2005.

The PMK has already expressed its displeasure over the denial of a seat by the DMK and said it will make its stand known by March 15.

The Congress, which is contesting two seats in the poll, can easily win one as it has 35 members in the Assembly and it requires the votes of only 34 MLAs to secure a berth in the Rajya Sabha. But for the second seat it will need the support of its allies. The MLAs of others constituents of the DPA may possibly be asked to vote for the two DMK candidates and one CPM candidate and so it is the PMK that might prove crucial for the Congress to win the second seat.

Sources said senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel met Union health minister Anbumani Ramadoss in Delhi and sought the PMK's support.

The PMK has 18 MLAs in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.

On Thursday, Dr Ramadoss said he would wait till March 15 to take a final decision on the Rajya Sabha polls, though senior PMK leaders had urged him either to field a rival candidate or boycott the elections.

When asked about it, he said in politics one should take into consideration various aspects and then decide accordingly.

A request from the Congress could also act as a face-saving formula for him since the PMK does not have the adequate numbers to win a seat by itself. He can claim that he dropped the idea of fielding a rival candidate or of boycotting the elections only in order to fulfil the wishes of the Congress. It has been noted that he has been saying all along that he will continue to be part of the Congress alliance in the next Lok Sabha elections.

PMK sources said they had expected feelers from the Congress. "In fact, the DMK leadership could have told the Congress leadership to approach us."

The tribals met Rahul in a specially-built hut at Ijurpa village in Lanjigarh block for nearly 40 minutes as elite commandoes and Special Protection Group (SPG) personnel stood guard outside. "I will take up their problems with the Congress president," Rahul said after meeting the tribal leaders. Many villagers from surrounding areas also thanked Rahul for the UPA's loan waiver for farmers.

Jeetu Jakesika, a college student from the Dongaria Kondh tribal community, who attended the meeting, told Hindustan Times, "We told him about our problems and sought his help to save Niyamgiri Hills. He assured us he would help us. He was truly concerned and asked all leaders accompanying him to leave the hut so we could have an honest interaction with him."

"As one of the important leaders of the country's largest political party and as an enlightened citizen, Rahul Gandhi's support will be great help to tribals fighting to save the Niyamgiri Hills," said Ajay Maken, AICC in-charge for Orissa. Gandhi also sought to know from the tribals whether they have been benefited from the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.

The Amethi MP later addressed a public meeting at Bhawanipatna, the district headquartersofKalahandi. He recalled how Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi had visited Kalahandi in the past and how he was keen to keep this relationship intact.