Party must participate in governance: Sonia

Advocating a greater role for the party in governance issues in the states where it is in power, Congress president Sonia Gandhi said on Saturday that the organisation should be fully involved in whatever the government does.

"Our chief ministers have a special responsibility to ensure that our party organisation in their states is fully involved in whatever the state government does," Sonia said, in her inaugural address at the two-day conclave of Congress chief ministers.

Sonia, who lay special emphasis on agriculture and internal security in her speech, setting the tone for the meeting of the chief ministers of the 14 Congress-ruled states, said the party has a vital role to play in relation to both the issues.

She described the conclave as a meeting of both representatives of governments and members of Congress.

"We meet here as both representatives of governments that have to be administered and as members of a political party that has to be always involved in public activism and mobilisation," Sonia said.

Recalling that the last meeting of the Congress chief ministers reviewed implementation of the main promises made in the state manifestos, the Congress chief said this time the conclave would discuss only two topics -- agriculture and internal security.

"You have been interacting with the Central government on both these issues. Even so, a party forum has its special importance for review and reflection," she said.