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Notwithstanding Narendra Modi's elevation to the BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate and the Congress hatao campaign launched by the saffon party, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday exhorted the party leaders and workers to gear up for strengthening the organisation and focus on party's success in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.
Rahul, who interacted with about 1,000 odd party leaders and block, taluka and district level workers from Vidrbha, Marathwada and North Maharashtra at Surabardi near the orange city, asked them to assert their powers, stop intra party fighting and reach out the people in the run up to the general elections.Road approaching Surabardi were full of Congress party banners welcoming Rahul.
Rahul held close door meetings in batches of workers and leaders divided into four districts each at a farmhouse turned meeting venue at Surabardi about 20 km from the Nagpur airport. During his six and half hour long interaction Rahul asked the Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and state Congress party chief Manikrao Thakre to wait outside the meeting hall. The idea was to allow grassroot workers to open up and air their grievances.
A large number of party workers complained about widening gap between the Congress led government and the party organisation, disrespect or less importance given to the block, taluka and district leadership, neglect towards party work by the district guardian ministers and ministers in charge of respective districts and above all lack of appointment on various party level and state run organizations. Rahul, who was accompanied by Congress general secretary in charge of Maharashtra Mohan Prrakash, took a serious note and snubbed the concerned ministers hinting that this will not be tolerated in future.
On the other hand, party workers from Jalgaon, where Congress party has been loosing successive elections badly, complained that the works of BJP leaders are done at a priority level while they have to strive to pursue their works at the government level. Moreover, some leaders also made a strong case that Congress should severe its links with its co-partner Nationalist Congress Party and contest both Lok Sabha and assembly elections separately in Maharashtra. Former MP Haribhau Rathod wanted that the three vacant post in the state cabinet should be filled up by nominating members other than Maratha community.
Former chief minister Ashok Chavan told Business Standard ''It was an opportunity for workers to hold direct communication with Rahulji. The sole objective of today's interactive session was how to further strengthen party organisation. Workers are really charged up with Rahul's down to earth approach.''
Rafiq Lakhani, vice president of Akola district committee said Rahul came down from the podium to sit among the party workers. ''His simplicity was unparallel. He infact told us that bridging the gap between the leaders and workers was his objective and it has to be everyone here. His message will really help further unite the party organisation across the state,'' Lakhani noted.
Sachin Sawant , spokesperson for the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee said, "Today's exercise by Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi aims at directly communicating with the party workers especially those working at the ground level and understand their problems and later take appropriate measures in future to strengthen the party organization. Rahulji has been travelling across the country. He had recently been to Mumbai and travelling to Pune on Wednesday.''
Congress party's Maharashtra unit chose Surabardi especially when the Vidarbha has received an excess rainfall and floods have severely damaged the kharif crop. It was an attempt to listen to the party workers the ground level issues arisen due to excessive rains and thereby seek Rahul's intervention for substantial assistance from the Central government. The visit is taking place after a fortnight when Nationalist Congress Party chief and union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar had visited the flood affected villages in the Vidarbha region.
Besides, Vidarbha has been the party's traditional vote bank but over the years it was loosing its grip due to the challenge posed by the saffron Shiv Sena-BJP alliance. It is Rahul's first visit near Nagpur after Narendra Modi's anointment as the BJP's prime ministerial candidate. Incidentally, Nagpur is the headquarters of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
