After the most speculated and dramatic no-confidence motion was discussed on Friday, ending with Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA defeating the motion, since then Congress has been in attack mode.
On Sunday, the first meeting of the newly reconstituted Congress Working Committee (CWC) took place, headed by Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi gained quite a positive and negative publicity after his speech on Friday in the no-confidence debate.
CWC was formed with many fresh faces, blending the old and new. Its total members are 51– constituting 23 core members, 18 permanent invitees and 10 special invitees.
Randeep Sujrewala, Congress Spokesperson took to Twitter to quote the highlights of the speeches made by the Congress leaders in the meeting. In his tweet, Sujrewala mentioned that Rahul Gandhi reminded Congress and its leaders about the party’s role as the ‘voice of India’ and its responsibility of ‘present and future.’
Sonia Gandhi confirming Congress’s openness to alliances said, “We are committed to making alliances work and we are all with him (Rahul Gandhi) in this endeavor. We have to rescue our people from a dangerous regime that is compromising the democracy of India.”
Quoting former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Sujrewala tweeted, “rejects the culture of constant self-praise & jumlas of PM as against solid policy framework for driving the engine of growth.” He meant that Congress opposes BJP’s ‘culture’ of self-praise. He also referred to Modi’s ‘jumlas’ which was also discussed by Rahul Gandhi in his speech on Friday.
Manmohan Singh, an economist and senior leader of Congress also showed the reality of the agricultural state of India. He said BJP is making impossible claims saying it will double farm income by 2022. He said for the claims to be true we “require an Agri Growth Rate of 14%, which is nowhere in sight.”
This was the first meeting of Congress’ highest decision-making body. After the mixed reactions of the media on Gandhi’s wink and hug, only the Lok Sabha elections will tell whether the political move worked for the party or not.