Congress’ Mission 2019: Beat BJP with pragmatic tie-ups

New Delhi: Reduced to its lowest numbers in Lok Sabha, the Rahul Gandhil-led Co-ngress Party on Saturday resolved to adopt a “pragmatic” approach towards tie-ups with all “like-minded” parties to defeat the BJP-RSS in 2019, even as a combative and emotional Sonia Gandhi mounted a passionate attack on the “arrogant”, “dramebaaz” Modi government which, she said, has been tricking people to grab power.

“The slogans of ‘Sab Ka Saath, Sab Ka Vikas’ and ‘Na Khaoonga, Na Khaane Doonga’ are only and only dramebaazi (drama) and a trick to grab power,” she said at the party’s 84th Plenary Session here, referring to Prime Minister Modi’s promises of inclusive development and corruption-free governance.

Giving credence to the logic of joining forces with other like-minded parties, the UPA chairperson recalled the Congress’ failure to form a government after it had decided to “go alone” at the 1998 Pachmarhi session, and spoke of the party’s change of stance during the Shimla session in 2003, when it resolved to join hands with “like-minded” forces, and the resultant UPA-I government in 2004.

On the first of the two-day plenary session, Mrs Gandhi and Mr Gandhi set out the road map for reversing the party’s downward electoral journey.

With eyes firmly on Lok Sabha elections 2019, they articulated the party’s twin political-electoral strategy — to project the RSS-BJP combine as “arrogant”, “dishonest” and “a divisive force” out to create social divisions and sabotage constitutional provisions, while positioning the Congress as the only “uniting force” to forge strategic electoral tie-ups with like-minded parties.

The Congress has already initiated efforts to hold talks with other Opposition parties and Mrs Gandhi has chaired several meetings with Opposition leaders to discuss cooperation and cohesion in Parliament as well as forming a broad-based alliance to take on the BJP in 2019.

Addressing the first plenary session since Mr Gandhi took over as the party’s president, Mrs Gandhi made a direct appeal to Congress leaders and workers to fight the challenges posed by BJP-RSS.

Asking them to be ready for any kind of sacrifice to strengthen the party and to free it of discrimination, vendetta politics and arrogance, she said that the “Congress is not just a party, but an idea several years ahead of its time” and the BJP-RSS combine is trying to do away with the very identity of the Congress Party.

But they do not know how much the people of the country love teh Congress, she said.  

“There is only one priority today and that is how to make Congress Party stronger. Congress is not just a party, but an idea several years ahead of its time,” she said.

The political resolution adopted at the plenary session said, “The Congress will adopt a pragmatic approach for co-operation with all like-minded parties and evolve a common workable programme to defeat the BJP-RSS in the 2019 elections.”

Accusing the Modi government of using all means to stay in power, she said the Congress will never bow before the arrogance of this government which has launched vendetta against its opponents.

The resolution, while giving a clarion call to the party’s rank and file to “rise to the occasion” and defend the foundational values of “our republic and constitutional democracy”, said “a resurgent Congress alone shall win back the idea of India as envisioned by founding fathers of our nation”.

That the Congress wants to make a strong pitch for building alliances and is ready to test regional parties as potential allies was evident in the political resolution which also spoke of giving Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh. On Friday, the Telugu Desam Party quit the NDA over Andhra Pradesh not being accorded Special Category Status.

“The Congress Party strongly condemns the neglect and injustice to Andhra Pradesh by the current BJP-led government and reiterates its commitment to the complete implementation of the PM’s assurances and the 9 provisions of the AP Reorganisation Act, and Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh,” the resolution said.  

Stung by large-scale defections that have helped the BJP form state government in many states, it said that the party will consider “introducing legislative disincentives to put an end to this practice and to debar defectors from contesting any elections for six years to check the brazen misuse of money power to create political instability”.

The party also strongly came out in support of reverting to the practice of paper ballots.

The resolution said there were apprehensions among political parties and voters over the misuse of EVMs to manipulate the outcome contrary to the popular verdict. To ensure the credibility of the electoral process, the Election Commission should revert to the old practice of paper ballot, as most major democracies have done.

It also opposed the government’s pitch for holding simultaneous elections saying, “It is incompatible with the Constitution and is also impractical. It will have serious implications, which must be thoroughly enquired into, and a national consensus built”.

The resolution also spoke of the need to revive pro-poor measures that will help dalits, minorities, Adivasis and women. It accused the Modi government of diluting the provisions of social justice legislations like the Forest Rights Act and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

It also said that the judicial system needs urgent reforms for effective and timely dispensation of justice. “The huge pendency of cases in courts and a large number of people not having access to affordable justice remains a challenge which must be addressed,” it said.