Congress president Sonia Gandhi has demanded that the UPA government, whose party alliance she heads, take “every effort” to check rising prices, thus pre-empting the opposition from voicing any such demand.
She also, at the Congress Working Committee meet, told party legislators and ministers to take a 20 per cent cut in their salaries for the next one year, as a part of an austerity drive.
The CWC, the Congress’ apex body, met here and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Home Minister P Chidambaram (a special invitee in today’s meeting) gave details on the steps taken by the government to tackle drought and price rise. The party “appreciated” the initiatives of the government but Gandhi also asked the party machinery to ensure these measures are properly implemented.
The PM also assured the party that the country has all the capability to face the problem of drought successfully.
The sole agenda of today’s meeting was to discuss the drought situation and price rise. According to insiders, no leader blamed the government and the meeting took place in a cordial atmosphere. Gandhi’s team also reviewed the steps taken by Congress chief ministers.
The party also demanded the government take early steps to ensure essential commodities and food items like pulses, edible oil and sugar are freely available.
The CWC passed a resolution demanding the government “continue to keep the strictest vigil on prices of essential commodities and take pro-active steps to keep these prices in check.” The resolution also said, “Adequate supplies of essential commodities must be ensured through PDS. Activities like hoarding, which creates artificial scarcities, should be checked and hoarders should be punished in the strictest possible way." Insiders reveal some members in the CWC suggested the Centre take back the legal power to do so from the states and undertake de-hoarding operations itself. But ministers present in the meeting emphasized the need for a joint effort of state and Centre.
Insiders also reveal, Gandhi came out with the last-minute suggestion of taking an austerity measure by all salary-earners in the Congress party. “All MPs, members of the state legislatures and others who are holding government positions and earning salaries may take a voluntary cut of 20 per cent in their salaries for a year starting from September 1,” Gandhi said in the meeting.
“Congress president has written letters to all state unit chiefs to involve the party in relief measures,” party general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said. “She has also asked to gear up the organisation to implement all these measures of the government, including vital measures like monitoring of NREGA (National Rural Employment Guarantee Act). The party units should give regular inputs to the general secretaries in charge of respective states.”
In her letter, Gandhi also said “the way we conduct ourselves, both in public and private life, must reflect our concerns for those who are less fortunate and suffering from drought and other difficulties.”
Rahul Gandhi and two other general secretaries of the party didn’t attend the meeting.
