Fewer Nehru, Indira portraits at Congress session
by Pankaj Yadav

     Hyderabad: The twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad are flooded with banners, posters, placards and larger than size portraits of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and her children - Priyanka and Rahul - Prime Minster Dr Manmohan Singh and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister DR YS Rajashekhara Reddy, installed for holding the 82nd Plenary Session of the Indian National Congress (INC). Only Rajiv and Sonia find place of prominence, and so do their two kids. The AICC plenary session is being held at the Gachibowli Stadium located in Rajiv Nagar, on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

    But, a stark deviation to be noted is that there is absolutely no sign of remembering the first Prime Minister of the country - Jawaharlal Nehru. Hardly there are banners or portraits of the man who was one of the stalwarts of the Congress Party. Nehru's daughter and Sonia's mother-in-law Indira Gandhi, also a former Prime Minister of India has been given less projection than seen in the previous Congress sessions. Between the two siblings - Rahul and Priyanka - the former finds place of prominence than his sister. In fact, if newspaper reports are to be believed, the session is being used to project Rahul Gandhi as the upcoming leader of the party. But, at the same time it seems unlikely that he will be given any party responsibility at the moment. The 'Young Turks' of the party are receiving greater prominence than their seniors at this session. The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) and its Andhra unit have taken the pains of decorating the twin cities with banners, posters with faces of youth leaders, including IYC president Ashok Tanwar, Oscar Fernandes and Digvijay Singh, besides the local office-bearers.

    Meanwhile, according to the schedule released here Saturday evening, the AICC's Sunday's meeting will begin at 10 am with 'Vande Mataram', followed by a welcome speech by the chairman, reception committee. Once the condolence resolution and organisational constitutional resolutions are adopted, the AICC General Secretaries will present their reports. After confirmation of the minutes of the previous AICC meeting held on August 21, 2004, the AICC will be converted into Subjects Committee. The Subjects Committee meeting will begin with the opening remarks of the Congress president. The resolution on political affairs will be taken up for discussion around 11 am, followed by a resolution on economic affairs at 2 pm, resolution on agriculture, employment and poverty alleviation at 4 PM and resolution on international affairs at 6 PM Members can take up any other matter with the permission of the chair at 7.30 PM The meeting will end with the concluding remarks by the Congress president. On the third and concluding day, the plenary will adopt condolence resolution as well as the constitutional resolution. The Congress president will make her speech and later discussion on the political resolution will commence at 11.20 am, followed by discussion on the economic resolution at 1.20 PM Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will address the plenary at 3 PM This will be followed by discussion on the resolution on agriculture, employment and poverty alleviation and the resolution on international affairs. After the concluding remarks by the Congress president and vote of thanks, the plenary will conclude with the national anthem at 6.45 PM

    The three-day 82nd Congress plenary session commenced on Saturday with the meting of the extended Congress Working Committee. Over 10,000 delegates, including Chief Ministers of 16 Congress- ruled states, Central Ministers, MPs and other leaders are participating in the plenary, the fifth to be held in Andhra Pradesh. The session is likely to come out with some concrete proposals to strengthen the party nationwide, without disturbing its first coalition experiment at the Centre and those in the states, notwithstanding the uncertainty in Karnataka. The Karnataka crisis may prompt the party to introspect on the issue of coalition amidst charges by some allies that the Congress was adopting a "big brother" attitude and was going away from the Common Minimum Programme on economic issues. The party would go all out to retain power in Assam, Kerala, and Pondicherry, while attempting to consolidate its position in Tamil Nadu, where it lost power in 1967 and in West Bengal ten years later. Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and Uttaranchal Chief Minister Narayan Dutt Tiwari is not attending the meeting as he is reportedly miffed at not being included as a member of the CWC.

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