Rahul urged to part ways with NCP

Times of India: Pune: Thursday, 26 September 2013.

Groups of Congress workers and leaders from Western Maharashtra who met party vice president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday urged him to snap ties with alliance partner Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

While Gandhi remained noncommittal, he asked Congress workers to increase the party's base in the state to get the maximum seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and avoid dependence on other parties to form a government at the Centre.

So that the party doesn't have to depend on alliance to form the government at the Centre.

He held a series of interactions with Congress workers, elected representatives and office bearers from Western Maharashtra and other parts of the state in Balewadi sports complex till late Wednesday afternoon to gauge their mood and solicit their views on initiatives undertaken by the UPA government.

Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Manikrao Thakre and senior ministers in the state cabinet, who were present at the venue throughout the day, were not allowed to join Gandhi's interactive sessions. He spoke with them during a half-hour MPCC meeting.

Members of the media were not allowed for the sessions and TOI gathered the information after speaking to various Congressmen with whom the Congress leader had a one-on-one dialogue.

Sources said a majority of the Congress workers and elected members insisted that the Congress part ways with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP as the regional party was eating into the Congress party's base. "The NCP was weakening the Congress in local body elections. In some polls, the NCP had joined hands with BJP-Shiv Sena to keep the Congress at bay from the power," the leaders told Gandhi.

He asked party workers to set aside differences and work as a unit, adding that the common people were with the party and there would be no impact of the opposition's vitriolic attack on the Congress. He reminded them about 2009 when the opposition parties had said that the Congress would be out of power, but it had bounced back.

Gandhi insisted on strengthening the party units at the grassroots and said office-bearers should disseminate information about welfare schemes launched by the UPA government.

He held detailed discussions on the Right to Information Act (RTI) with workers and told them to bring it to the notice of common citizens that the UPA had empowered them with the power to question the government.

When some Congress workers said the party's image has been dented because of scams and corruption cases against senior ministers and MPs, Rahul told them to bring it to the notice of the people that the party has initiated action against its members accused of corruption.

explain the RTI and party's efforts to bring transparency in the government functioning.

City Congress workers were ecstatic about the direct communication with Gandhi. Corporator Arvind Shinde said he had developed himself as a mature and mellow leader. "He listened to every question raised by party workers and leaders and answered patiently," said Shinde. Former MLC Ulhas Pawar said Rahul Gandhi has the charisma to connect with party workers.