“People are right demanding action from the government. We have taken several measures to boost women’s safety in the country. The Delhi gang-rape victim embodied the spirit of aspirational India. Tragically, she embodied the kind of violence that thousands of women and children in India, suffer every day. Their lives are ruined and they are denied justice,” she said.
She added that the government has made amendments in an existing law to endure equal inheritance rights for women and has introduced new laws meant to protect women from domestic violence and sexual harassment at work.
10.55am: Though the Congress chief refused to make references to the allegations of corruption against the government, she brought up the issue in a round-about way, in a cunning attempt to address growing public resentment yet not admitting the party’s failings. Again, the way Sonia Gandhi went all gung-ho against corruption in the system and misuse of position by ministers, she was almost reminiscent of Rahul Gandhi‘s speech a few months back, which blamed the ‘system’ for corruption – as if the speaker and the party were not essentially parts of the same system they seemed to be denouncing.
“Corruption is a deep-seated malaise. We are resolved to fight against it. That is why we have passed the Lokpal Bill in the last Lok Sabha session. We have introduced the ‘aapka paisa, aapke haath’ direct cash transfer scheme to weed out middle-men from the system,” she announced. She also emphasised that the government will make the process of ‘allocation of natural resources’ far more transparent. With the coal block and 2G blot starting to dig the party’s grave, it was but natural that the chief tries of make a last ditch attempt at saving Congress from it.
10.50am: Sonia’s defence of the FDI and the price hike moves was almost identically-worded to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh‘s earlier explanations of the government’s policies. “When the rest of the world was reeling under the economic slowdown, India was hardly affected. To make sure that the safeguards to our economy remain intact, we have had to take some difficult decisions. They might cause some temporary hardships to people, but will be rewarding for all in the long run,” said Gandhi.
10.40pm: Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, summing up the Chintan Shivir meet, said that it was time to look inwards and reflect on the party and its principles. Significantly, while addressing the meet in Hindi, she admitted that there was a pressing need to win back people’s faith in the government, thereby acknowledging the growing public dissent that the party is up against. “We have to win back people’s faith and keep reinventing our policies,” said Gandhi.
10.30pm: Besides setting stage for Rahul Gandhi to take over the reins of the Congress declared its Pakistan strategy. “Dialogue with Pakistan must be based on accepted priniciples of civilised behaviour. When these principles are violated, India should not hesitate to take credible action,” came the Congress announcement.
Sonia Gandhi at the Chintan Shivir. PTI.
The party chief also exhorted “All secular and progressive forces to unite in an ideological battle against those who polarise and divide society.”
Sonia Gandhi also express concern about the structure of her own party and said that it was time for some reflection. “Nepotism in the organisation’s structure is a cause of concern. When leaders recommend a candidate they must be willing to take responsibility in case of failure,” she said.
With inputs from PTI
Source: http://www.firstpost.com/politics/chintan-shivir-live-secularism-and-womens-safety-on-congs-mind-594822.html
No comments:
Post a Comment