|
|
Union tourism minister Subodh Kant Sahay with Shakeel Ahmad in Ranchi on Wednesday. (Hardeep Singh)
|
Ranchi Oct. 17: The Congress today launched a membership drive in the state in a bid to strengthen its support base.
The party’s Jharkhand in-charge Shakeel Ahmad said last year, over 4.90 lakh people had joined the Congress. He added that this year, the numbers were set to increase because Rahul Gandhi’s last interactive session with elected members of panchayati raj bodies had infused a new energy among the masses.
Without naming anyone, he said while secularism was a tool of several political parties to mobilise minority votes, it was a Congress principle. The party was committed to work for the betterment of every section of society, irrespective of their caste or religion, he said.
While talking to newspersons, Ahmad ridiculed chief minister Arjun Munda’s ongoing Johar Yatra. He alleged that both Munda and his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar were using government money for their publicity drives, but they would never succeed in their missions.
“In Bihar, Nitish Kumar has launched his Adhikar Yatra. Here Arjun Munda has his Johar Yatra. But, what has been the net outcome of Adhikar Yatra? Common people in Bihar feel cheated at the end of the day. Munda too will be meeting Nitish Kumar’s fate,” Ahmad said.
He denied that the Congress indulged in nepotism, especially while distributing tickets for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections or while giving important responsibilities in the party organisation.
“Both my grandfather and father were in the Congress. So you may say that I too have been given this position because of my forefather’s services to the party organisation. But, what about so many other people sitting here. The Congress always takes every decision with an open mind,” he argued.
Union tourism minister Subodh Kant Sahay too urged the party members to wage a decisive battle to overthrow the Arjun Munda government. He claimed that there was no substitute to Congress and Rahul Gandhi’s latest campaign in Jharkhand would change the direction of politics in rural areas.
Former BJP MP from Chaibasa Chitrasen Sinku and senior BSP leader from Hatia Bhim Singh Munda were among the prominent faces to join the Congress today.
|
