Sonia Gandhi wants to ensure adequate women empowerment

'Desh ki mahilaon ka samman, baad mein Bharat Nirman' is the slogan the Congress party plans to raise in the Jaipur summit demanding 50 per cent job quota for women. At the behest of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, some senior party leaders are expected to ask the government to explore the possibility of providing 50 per cent reservation for women in government and private jobs, apart from making another effort to push through the contentious women's quota Bill.

Coming a month after the brutal gangrape and murder of a 23-year-old girl in the national Capital that shocked the conscience of the nation, the Congress 's upcoming chintan shibir (brainstorming session) in Jaipur is set to give top billing to "women empowerment". The party brass believes that concrete, long-term "economic and legislative" steps, instead of knee-jerk reactions or piece-meal measures, will go a long way in real empowerment of women.

The mood in the Congress is summed up by the fact that party managers have coined a new slogan: "Desh ki mahilaon ka samman, baad mein Bharat Nirman"(the honour of the country's women first, then Bharat Nirman).

A resolution is likely to be moved suggesting that the government adopt this slogan. "Bharat Nirman may be a flagship programmer  but we want to emphasis our sensitivity to women and the problems being faced by them," a senior leader said. Sources said Sonia Gandhi's speech is expected to forcefully stress the need for major steps for women's empowerment.

The meet is also expected to direct all Congress chief ministers to give top priority to issues concerning women and fast-track measures for their uplift. It is for the first time the party has set up a committee to study gender issues and suggest solutions for a brainstorming session.

The party will also have a detailed discussion on the political challenges and alliances. Congress party wants the existing UPA set-up at the Centre to continue while remaining flexible in other states, except West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.

The party's aam admi-focussed schemes such as Direct Benefits Transfer, Food Security Bill, Land Acquisition and Dalit rights will also be discussed in detail.

Besides, Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi will also address the shivir beginning Friday.

Congress’s fight is not for power but for rights of people: Sonia Gandhi

Congress President Sonia Gandhi while addressing an election rally in the poll bound Punjab made it clear that her party’s fight is not for power but for people’s rights. The people must get their due, she said. “When Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister, the State had seen lot of development. The Rail Coach factory in Kapurthala is the living example of it” she added. Sonia Gandhi reminded the electorate of Punjab that her late husband always took care of the interests of the farmers and the poor in the State.

Earlier, the Congress President was given an affectionate welcome on landing in Kapurthala by the top Punjab Congress leadership and the people.

Speaking on the occasion, Capt Amarinder Singh assured Sonia Gandhi that the State Congress would form the next Government in Punjab by winning over 70 seats.  He also briefly threw light on the party’s manifesto for the coming elections and promised that he would discuss its details during his visits to different constituencies during the next few days.

 

This article is posted by pressbrief.in

Sonia Gandhi “Punjab Government failed to utilize Central funds”

Congress President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi while launching the Congress campaign in the poll bound Punjab on Thursday lashed out at the ruling Akali-BJP combine in Punjab for not properly utilising central grants. "The state government has failed to utilise the Rs 5,000-crore grant provided to it under MNREGA," Sonia Gandhi said while addressing an election rally in Kapurthala. She said the state government was inefficient as it could spend just Rs 526 crore on the UPA government's flagship social welfare scheme.

"Instead of looking into their own failures, they were trying to put the blame on the central government which has always been liberal and generous with sanctioning grants to the states, including Punjab, for development," added the Congress President.

Referring to the subsidised 'aata-daal' scheme of the state government, Sonia Gandhi said it was fully financed by the Union government and yet the Akali-BJP government was trying to claim credit for it. She said this government could not do a single thing on its own as it had no money and every development activity in the state was bankrolled by the Centre.

Sonia Gandhi asked if the state is developed, how come seven lakh more families in Punjab became poor during these five years. "Is this the development you are talking about," she asked. Terming the alliance as purely opportunistic, Sonia Gandhi said the two had come together only to stick to power.

 

This article is posted by pressbrief.in