With party facing flak on price rise and corruption, Rahul Gandhi today asked Congress Chief Ministers to get into action mode on the two "core" issues as he vehemently disapproved Maharashtra government's decision to reject a judicial commission's report on Adarsh scam that indicted some party leaders including former CMs.
With a clear realisation in the party that price rise did them in in the recent assembly elections, which saw Congress being decimated in Delhi and Rajasthan which it ruled, the Congress Vice-President prescribed policy prescriptions including delisting fruits and vegetables from existing APMC Act, PDS reform and stern action against blackmarketeers and hoarders.
"All Congress-ruled states will enact new Lokayuktas legislation as provided in the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act 2013 by February 28," said the agenda of immediate and time bound action agreed upon after the meeting with 12 Chief Ministers and top leadership of the party.
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Gandhi was hammer and tongs against Congress-NCP government's decision on Adarsh issue asserting "there is no question of protecting anybody".
"I do not agree with that decision. The Maharashtra government should reconsider that decision....As far as Adarsh is concerned, there is no question of protecting anybody," Gandhi said responding to a question on whether he does not see a dichotomy between his talk about fighting corruption and the step by his own government in the state to reject the report of a duly constituted panel on Adarsh scam.
Gandhi's disapproval this time was not a reaction in a huff as was evident some months back when he had slammed the Centre's decision to bring out an ordinance on the convicted lawmkers saying it should be torn and thrown away in the dustbin. The Ordinance was finally withdrawn.
Though Gandhi's tone and tenor was a bit persuasive this time, party sources say that the impact will the same as there is a perception that the act of rejecting the Adarsh report by the Maharashtra government is making the party's talk on corruption sound hollow.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said after the press conference that he will consult his Cabinet colleagues and decide the next course of action.
With the election defeats in Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh rankling it, the party is keen to work out the strategy to retain the states where it is in power at present as there seems little possibility of it doing very well in the states already ruled by BJP as the recent assembly elections showed.
