The Hindu : National : Sonia pulls up party MPs

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Wednesday, Dec 08, 2004

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National

Sonia pulls up party MPs

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, DEC. 7. The Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, today pulled up the party MPs for their absence in Parliament and also at the parliamentary committee meetings, and suggested that they set an example to others.

``I remain very concerned with the poor attendance of our members, particularly in the afternoons. I am informed that our attendance in meetings of various parliamentary committees is also poor. That attendance of members of other parties is also very low is no consolation to us. We should be setting the example to all others,'' Ms. Gandhi told the members attending the party's general body meeting in Parliament.

Ms. Gandhi also suggested that as the United Progressive Alliance Government would soon be presenting its second Budget, the members should send in their views and suggestions well in time so that a meeting of the MPs on the subject could be arranged. She told the members that the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, had agreed to brief them on some important political and economic issues.

Manmohan optimistic

Dr. Singh, expressing confidence over the growth of economy, said the agriculture production was expected to exceed last year achievement. The Government's policies were aimed at making India a preferred destination of investors, he asserted and predicted that the country would become one of the fastest growing economies in the next five years.

He also praised the handling of affairs by the Home Ministry and shared his experience of visits to Jammu and Kashmir, northeast and overseas.

`UPA is united'

While asserting that the UPA remains united and moving forward with a sense of purpose, Ms. Gandhi said: ``We have received the mandate and we intend to fulfil it in significant measure. This is our pledge, this is our resolve.'' She also listed the number of Bills the Government proposes to introduce in the current session.

Expressing concern over rise in oil prices, Ms. Gandhi said, the country cannot remain insulated from what happens elsewhere in the world, and justified the recent hike, saying ``escalating oil prices in world markets has forced painful decisions on us.''

The criticism by the Bharatiya Janata Party was ``hypocritical.'' It was the previous BJP-led Government that announced the policy of linking domestic prices to world prices.

The decision to do away with the monthly increase of Rs. 5 on cooking gas cylinders reflected the party's and the Government's sensitivity to the day-to-day concerns of people, she said and asked the party members to educate people about the Government's compulsions.

The Congress president recounted the steps taken by the Government to address the problems of farmers, ex-Service men, the expanded food-for-work programme, mid-day meal and universalisation of elementary education.

Assembly elections

On the political front, Ms. Gandhi urged the party members not to be complacent after the victory in Assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh and Maharashtra. The party has to gear itself for elections to the Assemblies of Bihar, Haryana and Jharkhand early next year.

She sought cooperation of all to ensure implementation of action plan drawn as a follow up to her address at the AICC session.

She said that having set up two task forces, one to study the issue of naxalite violence and another on panchayati raj, the party would soon announce details of Swach Vatavaran Abhiyan (clean environment campaign), to provide a blue print for active involvement in public hygiene and sanitation.

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