Highlights of the Press briefing Held at 1615 hrs 12.01.2015 Shri Randeep Surjewala addressed the media today. Shri Randeep Surjewala said, on behalf of Indian National Congress, we, facilitate and extend our good wishes to all Indians particularly young Indians on the 152nd birth anniversary of Swami Vivekanand Ji- an iconic figure that he was the one who carried India’s rich religious and spiritual heritage on the world stage by building a bridge across religions. Swami Vivekanand was also known for breaking many myths, established orders and reenergizing the thought as also spirit of India. We hope that all Indians particularly young Indians will use this day to build a new strength of character and purpose besides ensuring an active and positive role in nation building. While the whole nation celebrates Swami Vikvekanand’s 152nd birth anniversary, we heard day before yesterday in Delh in a public rally and yesterday in Gujarat Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji’s self-professed fetish for hyping up things. In last seven months of government, Shri Narendra Modi and BJP government have steadfastly followed a NAMO Policy – No Action, Melodrama only. In last seven months, India has seen indeed seen a lot of hype as Prime Minister says but almost always Prime Minister and BJP government have come to be known for a complete mis-match between hype and action on the ground. Prime Minster raised yesterday like on earlier occasions, a great hype about investment and investment climate without any meaningful translation on the ground that people of India including manufacturers, job seekers and consumers are waiting to see on ground for the last seven months. We have heard lot of hype about ‘Make in India’ without either the commensurate policy initiatives or ground level concrete measures making the entire campaign as a mere acronym for bringing money by various financial institutional investors while actual manufacturing has actually gone down. We also saw immense hype over last seven months about announcing new government schemes without the necessary frameworks, mechanism, policy or budgetary support. Hence important schemes like ‘Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan’ rephrased as ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ became more of a photo-opps across the country in absence of either bringing in all the stakeholders onboard of making elaborate plans and providing budgetary support for laying of sewerage and sewerage treatment plants, garbage collection mechanism, solid waste disposal plants and similar measures that were paramount to success of the scheme. Smart City project has failed to take-off ‘Beti Bachao Abhiyan’ may not meet the same fate. We also heard Prime Minister sell a great hype to Delhites about electricity portability without producing or adding a single unit of generation capacity in Delhi in last seven months of their government or without reducing 30% of electricity tariff as promised by Prime Minister himself as also in their manifesto. We also heard Prime Minister hype about providing shelter to all slum dwellers by 2022 by asking for two terms from BJP forgetting his earlier rally promise of only 60 months to transform Delhi. We also heard the hype of making new promises completely forgetting the earlier ones including the most important promise of giving full statehood to Delhi. We in Indian National Congress wonder whether like the omission in J&K of mention of Article 370 by the Prime Minister, this was also a deliberate omission on his part or grant of full statehood for the State of Delhi has now ceased to be part of BJPs agenda now that they are in power in Union government. We also heard the hype of last but not the least of Prime Minister stating and promising to make Delhi safe for its residents without Prime Minister doing his homework and looking at indices of crime in Delhi which reflect that in the last months, rape cases in Delhi have gone up by 31%, house-theft cases have gone up by 300%, motor-vehicle theft cases have gone up by 59%, attempt to murder cases have gone up by 32% and murder cases have gone up by 15%. We wonder if this is the hype that Hon’ble Prime Minister spoke about and to end May I just must remind you that not so long ago Shri LK Advani described our Hon’ble Prime Minister as the Best Event Manager. We saw another facet of this constant image makeover exercise when the Hon’ble Prime Minister who addresses United Nations General Assembly in Hindi and we are proud of the fact, addressed Vibrant Gujarat Summit prompted by tele-prompter in English while leaving aside a few foreign guests, large majority of investors understood the national language Hindi very well. So country needs action not hype and it is time Prime Minister moved away from NAMO policy of ‘No Action Melo Drama’ only to concrete action and a strong India. On a question that the other day the Chief Justice of India described the Prime Minister as a good leader with the foresight a good human being, how the Congress party looks at it, Shri Surjewala said judiciary is an important part of our constitutional framework. Independence of judiciary and its credibility are its cornerstones. It would have been wiser had the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India whom we hold in high esteem kept his personal views personal lest expression of such views have a possibility of reflecting upon the decision making processes. Restraint perhaps is the key word in such cases. Shri Surjewala further said self-restraint from the highest judicial officer of the country of keeping his personal views would have been the most appropriate thing. On a question on CBI likely to question Shri Mukul Roy of TMC in Saradha scam, Shri Surjewala said earlier also from the podium of Indian National Congress, we have already said that an independent, fair and impartial probe into the whole affair should be done without any political interference and vendetta, guilty should be punished and the whole truth should come out. To a question whether there is an agenda when Smt. Sheila Dikshit mentioned of supporting AAP, Shri Surjewala said you also see it in the context of the announced results of Delhi Cantonment which is a sample of shape of things to come. If you look at the total number of votes polled out of the three parties’ tally, Congress had polled the highest number of votes in Delhi Cantonment and I am sure the data will prove me out although we have won two seats and BJP has five and AAP has one. This reflects that Congress party which many in the media and politics are trying to point out as the under-dog is going to emerge as a winner on account of stellar work and performance of the party for 15 years of its governance. Any other controversy after today’s results or comment becomes irrelevant. As far as Smt. Dikshit goes, I think her opinion is that she was quoted out of context while she never meant it in the spirit that it has been taken but having said that Indian National Congress and its entire leadership and its workers are enthused with the forthcoming elections to re-establish its lead, supremacy and right to serve people of Delhi through the process of election and we hope to form the government. So, no question of supporting anybody. Shri Surjewala said I appreciate your concern. Congress Party is going to form the government on its own strength whenever election results are held and announced in the State of Delhi. Let us wait which party wants to support us though we have a complete majority. Shri Surjewala further said in Delhi Cantonment Board elections, the Congress party has lost couple of seats by less than a margin of 100 votes and our winning margin was very high. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that in Varanasi Cantonment Board election results, the BJP has drawn a blank and also in Lucknow which has been the constituency of former BJP Prime Minister, there also the BJP has also drawn a blank which is at present the parliamentary constituency of the second highest leader of the BJP i.e. the present Home Minister. On the question of the reaction of the Congress party that Capt Amrinder Singh has opened a front against the Pradesh PCC President Mr. Bajwa, Shri Surjewala said I heard Shri Bajwa’s statement as also read his statement today and he seems to support an anti-drug rally to be held by the Congress party in Amritsar. In the light thereof there is neither any contradiction of thought nor action. I am sure their minor issues of thought process and leadership will be ironed out within the party. To a related question that how the party calls it a minor issue, when Capt. Amrinder has not invited the PCC President at the lunch hosted by him, Shri Surjewala said every individual can hold a private lunch and I think it is wrong to make big political capital out of it. Hon’ble CM of Haryana held a lunch today where I could not go, that does not mean that we are not on same page. On another question that Shri Shashi Tharoor has met Shri Ahmed Patel yesterday and whether there is any possibility of his stepping down, Shri Surjewala said there are three things – firstly Indian National Congress as also each one of us individually believes that intervention or interference within an on-going criminal investigation is neither appropriate nor warranted. Secondly, there is a sustained misinformation campaign based on insinuations and innuendos in which a certain section of leadership of BJP is also involved. They appear or claim to have access to documents and information that could possibly be available only with the investigating officer or investigating agency and none else. Authenticity of such information is, therefore, itself in serious doubt. If such information is available with a section of leaders of a ruling party which rightfully should only and only be with investigating agency, it is for the investigating agency to clarify. Shri Shashi Tharoor neither was nor is an accused in this case. Shri Tharoor has steadfastly maintained that he is willing to participate and cooperate fully with the criminal investigating agency. In the light thereof, we deprecate any misinformation campaign based on insinuations and innuendos. Everybody seeking to jump the gun must wait arriving at the final conclusion by the criminal investigating agency. Shri Surjewala further said Shri Shashi Tharoor is a Member of Parliament and a former Union Minister. He would meet various leaders of the party from time to time. To put a context to his meeting and to link it up with an on-going criminal investigation would neither be appropriate nor proper. To another question on the big campaign by the BJP for the forthcoming Delhi Assembly elections when compared to the earlier elections campaigns, do we see the same with the Congress party’s leadership in Delhi, Shri Surjewala said Indian National Congress has considering, Delhi’s varied flavor and sub-nationalities and people from various Regions having migrated and forming an important constituency in different areas here, Indian National Congress has already put in action a plan to use leaders from all neighboring States as also from different regions including UP and Bihar in shape of constituency-wise duties as also for various regional and national leaders to campaign across the constituencies in the entire state of Delhi. Needless to add that Congress President and Congress Vice President shall themselves be actively participating like always in the Delhi election. On another question as how relevant do you think the Congress is to Delhi elections, Shri Surjewala said results will show that congress is the only relevant party and myths about to be shattered. Since the date of elections has been declared as 7th Feb is the day of polling and 10th Feb is the day of counting, is Mr. Ajay Maken is going to be face of the Congress party, Shri Surjewala said let me begin by saying that Indian National Congress welcomes the end to speculation and announcement of firm election dates by Election Commission of India. Congress leaders and workers are enthused and are looking forward to going to polls to once again re-establish its grass root reach connect and hold with people of Delhi through the magnificence of the electoral process into forming a Congress government in Delhi. As qua who is going to be the Campaign In-charge of the state of Delhi for the Congress party, as and when a decision is taken and which will be taken shortly, we shall inform you accordingly. To a related question that senior congress leader Shri Anand Sharma has already gone on record saying that Shri Ajay Maken is going to be the Chairman of the Campaign Committee, Shri Surjewala said Communication Department of the AICC is yet to receive any information from the office of the President of AICC in this respect. To another question whether there will be a discussion in the CWC which is going to be held tomorrow for anointing Shri Rahul Gandhi as President as has been stated by Mr. Digvijaya Singh, Shri Surjewala said tomorrow at 10.30 am CWC is meeting. All the cameramen are welcome for photo opp. As far as leadership of INC is concerned, Shri Rahul Gandhi has always been the leader of crores of workers of the Congress workers as also its leaders. He was our leader when he was the General Secretary of the party and he is our leader when he is the Congress Vice President. As and when the decision about the leadership of the Congress is taken based on its constitution, you will be informed of that.
Posted on: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 01:42:19 +0000
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