After witnessing his unusual yet hair raising speech on Friday, leaders of the Jharkhand Congress finally got their much needed inducement as a delegation, including PCC president and senior leaders from the State got a chance to interact with party's national vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday.
PCC president Sukhdeo Bhagat who is there with a huge delegation to take part in the AICC meeting said that Gandhi was interacting to leaders from different States and was taking their feedback and suggestions ahead of the upcoming general elections. "The interaction was not Jharkhand centric. It was a general meeting with the party leaders from across many States and Mr Gandhi was carefully listening to all of them giving small suggestions and nodding in-between," Bhagat said.
However, a senior party leader and MlA who wished not to be named said that the Jharkhand delegation complained to Rahul that the party's image had been tarnished after it became a part of the incumbent Government in the State.
"While Rahul ji was carefully listening to everyone and taking opinions and suggestions, some of our party members from Jharkhand apprised him of the prevailing situations in the State. They told him that the State Government was involved in a series of malpractices and thus the image of the party in the State has witnessed a setback lately," the leader said adding that Rahul seriously listened to the plaints and "just nodded".
However, young leader and HRD Minister in the State Geetashree Oraon said that the meeting with Gandhi was very encouraging for the State leaders as it invigorated them. "In today's meet we conveyed our feelings to Gandhi and expressed our gratitude for his motivating speech he made yesterday. We apprised him of various phone calls we are getting especially from housewives about increase in the number of domestic lPG cylinders. And, also thanked him for his noble thought of providing 50 per cent reservation to women in Parliament and increasing their participation in all walks of life," Oraon said.
"Gandhi asked us to stick together and work as a team ahead of the upcoming lok Sabha polls. We assured him that the chosen party candidate would be given full support by one and all. He also asked us to give importance to rural representatives while choosing candidates for elections. According to him, opinions of Gram Pradhans must be taken in view while selecting a candidate for a given constituency. We all agreed to his views and assured him that the steps would be followed in the State at the appropriate time," the Minister said.