CHANDIGARH, JANUARY 25: Sounding the bugle for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections with the confidence that the Congress would win all the 13 seats in Punjab, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday hailed the entry of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra into the political arena as a masterstroke by the party president, saying it would change the political equations not only in Uttar Pradesh but the entire country.
Launching the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee’s Jan Sampark Abhiyan at the Congress Bhawan here, the Chief Minister assured Priyanka of total support by the state party cadres in realizing the dream of an inclusive India of Rahul Gandhi, who he asserted was all set to become the next Prime Minister.
Priyanka’s entry marked the fulfilment of a long-pending demand of the Congress workers and all party members, across cadres, were with her and the Congress president in their campaign to rid the people of India of the corrupt and divisive government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said Captain Amarinder.
Pointing out that the ill-conceived policies of the central government had vitiated the overall atmosphere in the country, which had been plunged into an environment of fear, lawlessness and tension, the Chief Minister said the new Shakti programme launched by the Congress president had brought in a new level of enthusiasm among the party workers to take on the BJP-led government and exposed its anti-people agenda.
Terming forthcoming parliamentary elections as very important for the country, Captain Amarinder called upon the Punjab Congress workers to take Shakti to every household to ensure that the party wins all the 13 seats in the state with sweeping margins. Formally launching `Mission 13’ for the party in the state, the Chief Minister exhorted the PPCC workers to go all out to expose the false propaganda being spread by the SAD-BJP combine and to take the state government’s achievements to the people.
The SAD-BJP did nothing for farmers during their 10-year rule and were now creating misconceptions in the minds of the people with their baseless claims and allegations, he said, urging the Congress workers to aggressively counter the mis-propaganda of the opposition. Mission 13 was critical for enabling a change in Delhi, which was urgently needed to save the country, said the Chief Minister, adding that the prevailing atmosphere necessitated a new democratic and fair regime at the Centre.
With the law and order in a shambles and people living under a blanket of fear, with prices of essential commodities escalating out of control, and with unemployment and farmer suicides at an all-time high across the country, it was evident that the current regime at the Centre had failed the people of India on all counts, he said, underlining the importance of change in leadership.
Referring to the Jan Sampark Abhiyan, the Chief Minister stressed on the need to connect with the grassroot workers and voters to solicit their views and suggestions for informed decisions by the top leadership. The door-to-door campaign would further fortify Rahul Gandhi’s vision to make each Indian a part of the change which the whole nation desires, he said, addressing party workers and leaders.
Captain Amarinder exhorted the party representatives to make optimum use of this platform for connecting with the voters at the grassroots level in favour of the party by disseminating the pro-poor and development oriented policies of the Congress government in Punjab.
Pointing out that his government had provided much needed relief to the beleaguered farming community by waiving off their loans, Captain Amarinder Singh lambasted the Central Government for doing nothing on this count. “What have they done with the Swaminathan Commission recommendations,” Captain Amarinder Singh asked the Modi Government, once again demanding a comprehensive central policy to alleviate sufferings of farmers.
Listing out his government’s achievements on the law and order front, Captain Amarinder said his government had successfully cracked all cases of political murders which had taken place with impunity during the SAD BJP regime in the state. There was significant improvement in the overall atmosphere in the state, he said, highlighting the fact that his government had already facilitated more than 4.25 lakh youth in getting employed across various sectors.
Captain Amarinder also noted with satisfaction that his government had won the Bargari case, with the court dismissing the pleas of the cops named in the case.
Speaking on the occasion, AICC Punjab Incharge Asha Kumari underlined the need to dovetail the Jan Sampark Programme with the Shakti programme to further strengthen the party’s public perception.
PPCC Chief Sunil Jakhar stated that these programmes reflect Rahul Gandhi’s vision to connect with the ground level activists and voters. The endeavour was not aimed at simply collecting hard data but was a political weapon to strengthen the party’s hands for the forthcoming elections, he said.
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Recalling that it was former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s dream to empower all Indians with technology, Jakhar said Rahul Gandhi was taking that vision forward by connecting with all party workers and voters. Taking a dig at the Modi Government for misusing technology to spread blatant falsehoods, he called for aggressive attempts to counter this vicious propaganda.
Hailing Priyanka Gandhi’s entry into politics as a Brahamastra, he said the move had already rattled the Modi Government. The Prime Minister won’t fight from Varanasi now, he said, adding that team of Rahul and Priyanka was a dream combination and would help restore democracy in the country.
Earlier, making a presentation on the Jan Sampark Abhiyan AICC National Coordinator Kamal Kant Sharma said the project was an internal digital platform that would utilise data with an aim to link each and every Congress worker in India with the party president. He said the unique project would go a long way in providing accurate feedback to the party high command about party affairs and electoral prospects.
