Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday asserted that the biggest challenge before the party is to expand the vote base, and stressed the need for a strategy to reach out to people to win back their trust.
Meanwhile, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi said the people of the country had to be “rescued from a dangerous regime” that was “compromising” with India's democracy.
“Expansion of our party vote base is one of our biggest tasks. In each constituency, we have to find people who have not voted for us and develop a strategy to reach out to them and win back their trust,” Rahul said while addressing the first meeting of the newly-constituted Congress Working Committee (CWC).
He also said the objective behind forming the new CWC was to make it inclusive, diverse, dynamic and representative, adding that striking a balance between youth and experience was also factored into its formation.
“CWC gave voice to every single Indian. It accommodated views from different perspectives and gave space to the weakest voices of India. Our collective challenge is to shape our current CWC to that level. The CWC evolved during the freedom struggle. It’s a forum where India expressed, debated, contested and consented ideas to take the nation from colonial rule to freedom,” he added.
He said the Congress can come together with other parties and win the coming elections but after that, the damage done by the BJP and the RSS to India’s institutions will have to be undone and only the Congress has the potential to do this.
UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi said there is a need to rescue the citizens from a dangerous regime that is compromising with the democracy of India. The former Congress chief cautioned about “the reign of despair and fear heaped upon India’s deprived and poor” at a meeting of the newly constituted CWC.
Rahul continued his attack on Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and alleged there was certainly a “scam” in the controversial Rafale jet deal with France and accused Sitharaman of doing a “flip-flop” on the secrecy clause. Rahul attacked Modi alleging he “squirms” when asked about the prices of the fighter aircraft.
His fresh attack on the Government over the deal comes two days after he told Parliament during the debate on no-confidence motion that French President had conveyed to him that there was no problem in sharing details relating to the Rafale, contrary to what the Government has been saying.
Sonia in her address insisted that the UPA will work effectively. “We are committed to make alliance work and we are with the Congress president in this endeavour,” she said at the party’s top decision-making body CWC, to discuss the political situation in thecountry and draw up the party’s strategy for the 2019 lok Sabha elections.
Rahul Gandhi described the Congress as the “voice of India” and said the party had a responsibility towards the present and the future. “Rahul Gandhi calls the newly constituted CWC as an institution comprising of experience and energy, as a bridge between the past, present and the future. Calls upon Congressmen/women to rise and fight for India’s oppressed,” AICC spokesman Randeep Surjewala said at a Press conference sharing the details of CWC.
The CWC met two days after Rahul’s speech in Parliament during a debate on the no-confidence motion when the Congress president launched a blistering attack on Modi and later, in an unprecedented move, gave him a hug.
Rahul CWC has 23 regular members instead of 25 allowed by the party constitution. It has 18 permanent and eight special invitees. This is the meeting of extended CWC which also consists of all state party chiefs and legislature party leaders apart from the regular CWC members, permanent and special invitees to the committee.