Press
Briefing Wednesday, 25th Mar 2009
Shri
Ashwani Kumar addressed the media today.
Shri Ashwani
Kumar said that this is the formal briefing
on the manifesto released yesterday.
Shri Ashwani
Kumar said that he proposes to speak for few
minutes on what we believe is the central
direction of the manifesto and what we think
it means for the rest of the country. Shri
Ashwani Kumar said that he will highlight
the views of the Congress Party on one or
two current issues which have engaged the
attention of our people.
Shri Ashwani
Kumar said that our manifesto is already on
the web site which is aicc.org.in. Yesterday
when the manifesto was released, a brief
statement was made about what we intend to
communicate to the people of India through
our manifesto. Let me summarize it as
crystally as I can. We believe that our
manifesto is essentially a charger of
national renewal. We believe that never
before in the history of this country was a
set of policies promised and unfolded that
would empower all sections of our people at
a scale at which we have promised. It seeks
to build upon our manifesto of 2004 insofar
as for instance we had extended NREGA
promising employment to every individual as
against every household in the past. Shri
Ashwimi Kumar said that we believe that the
institutions of governance that have
strengthened our democracy with the firmest
strength through what we have spelt out in
the manifesto and most importantly we have
extended the reach of the seat to the extent
the reach of the programmes of the
affirmative action.
Shri Ashwani
Kumar said that a critical aspect of this
charger, and for the first time, a new law
that ensures food security to all, has been
included in the charter. We have, at the
same time, reaffirmed our commitment to
economic reforms and fiscal prudence at the
same time. I am mentioning this because it
has been asked sometimes whether we can
reconcile a very ambitious programme of
affirmative action and huge outlays in the
social sector with fiscal prudence. We have
added a specific paragraph in our manifesto
to say that we stand by our commitment to
fiscal prudence because that is the long
term objective in our economic vision. Shri
Ashwani Kumar said that he would also like
to point out that we do treat the BJP as the
gravest challenge to India.s composite
culture and cohesive society and the remarks
of Mr. Varun Gandhi in Pilibhit are no more
and no less than an extension of divisive
politics and the hate campaign which defines
and has defined in the past in the communal
agenda of the BJP. My last point of the
opening would be that the BJP which called
itself as the party of distinction has
demonstrated its contempt yet again for
institutions of constitutional democracy
like Election Commission. For the first time
in India.s history, the Election Commission
has given an advisory not to field a
particular candidate. The BJP, as was only
to be expected, has treated the advice of
the constitutional institution with
contempt. The message is loud and clear. BJP
thrives on communalized politics and to
continue to build or destroy its all shones
on politics of hate, division and conflict.
To the
question of possible arrest of Mr. Varun
Gandhi, Shri Ashwani Kumar said that law is
going to take its own course. We are aware
that the Hon.ble Allahabad High Court has
rejected the bail application and whatever
requisite is required to be taken by the
concerned authorities will be taken. It is
necessary in our view that the core values
of our republic are strengthened and law
enforced suitably and appropriately.
To another
question whether the hands of the Election
Commission are tied on this issue, Shri
Ashwani Kumar said that this is all
speculative. We are not aware of the fact as
to who will go to the court and what action
court will take. Shri Ashwani Kumar said
that such institutions that have a faith in
the core values of our democracy should
raise this issue to have the confidence of
the people of this country intact.
Shri Ashwani
Kumar further said that the Election
Commission, under the constitution, has
ample and full power to ensure a
non-vitiated and non-communally charged
election as a part of free and fair election
which is the specific mandate of the
Election Commission. Shri Ashwani Kumar said
that the Election Commission, under Article
324 of the Constitution, is fully empowered
to act for implementation of the Model Code
of Conduct.
To another
question if the Prime Minister is to be held
responsible for the loss in the Assembly
elections, Shri Ashwani Kumar said that the
office of the Prime Minister should not be
held responsible for loss or win in any of
the Assembly elections.
To another
question of BJP overreaching for a biased
order of the Election Commission, Shri
Ashwani Kumar said that the reaction of BJP
to the advisory of the Election Commission,
which is the constitutional functionary,
that safeguards the imperative of the free
and fair elections. For the first time, on
the basis of its own assessment, it chose to
give an advisory to a political party. The
contempt with which that advisory has been
ignored and the assertion of the BJP that
this individual will be fielded as a
candidate and that the advisory is not
binding itself shows the conscience
undermining of the institutions of
parliamentary democracy by the BJP. Shri
Ashwani Kumar said that this is the point
that will have to be taken to the peoples.
court. Shri Ashwani Kumar said that the BJP
is the party that seeks to govern this
country. Will a party that consciously
undermines the watch dog of free and fair
election entitled to a mandate from the
people to govern in the framework of the
constitution. That is the question we are
going to take to the peoples. court.
To another
question of the Congress, if voted to power,
cutting down the transmission, power and
distribution losses as promised in the
manifesto, Shri Ashwani Kumar said that
there can be clearly no doubt that we have
huge losses on that count. Shri Ashwani
Kumar further said that one of the integral
components of our policy on the Energy
security side has been to conserve and save
energy. We need to reduce the losses but you
would appreciate that such need would be
spelt out in Integrated Energy Policy which
we have announced last time. Shri Ashwani
Kumar said that lot more has to be done and
we will continuously endeavor to do that.
To another
question over the alliance, Shri Ashwani
Kumar said that we have endeavored and will
continue to endeavor to make sure that all
our allies work with us and we go to polls
together. We do recognize that there are
certain compulsions with parties who take a
view on the basis of their immediate
priorities. I would not like to comment on
their priorities but we will try and secure
as cohesive a UPA as possible.
To a
question of the atrocities on women, Shri
Ashwani Kumar said that in fact the Congress
Party has devoted 4-5 paras in manifesto to
the empowerment of women which necessarily
includes that there should be no atrocities
against any section particularly against
women. Shri Ashwani Kumar said that the
opening paragraph of the manifesto talks of
security, dignity and prosperity and
eliminating atrocities of any kind against
women, against the weak and against the old
has been the part of our charter. Shri
Ashwani Kumar said that the Congress Party
remains totally committed to endeavoring our
best to remove and eliminate any atrocities.
To another
question of food security as promised in the
manifesto when compared to the fact that we
are still importing wheat, Shri Ashwani
Kumar said that this is first time that
there has been a production of 228 MT of
food grain in our country. Shri Ashwani
Kumar further said that at the same time the
demand and consumption has also increased.
There is a direct relation of import-export
with production and the consumption. The
main objective for giving high support price
for their produce has been to empower the
farmers and further said that we are trying
our best to ensure that there is maximum
production and least import of food grains.
Tom
Vadakkan
Secretary, AICC
