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CWC debates task force report on party reforms

The three-day session of the Congress Working Committee concluded on Saturday after adopting comprehensive resolutions on the political and economic situation and discussing at length the report of the task force, headed by former Lok Sabha speaker Purno A Sangma.

Party president Sonia Gandhi presided over these meetings. Though the party had virtually endorsed the Bharatiya Janata Party government's stand on the nuclear blasts, senior leaders like P Shiv Shankar and Eduardo Faleiro questioned the party's decision in this regard and said the exercise has been conducted only to bolster the ruling party's image. The Congress under the late Rajiv Gandhi had always stood for disarmament, and the party should have continued the same line, they felt.

The party has also taken serious exception to the delay on the part of the BJP government in finalising the Ninth Five Year Plan, though it has been in office for about two months.

The regular CWC met for the first day, followed by two days of extended sessions in which PCC presidents, CLP leaders and prominent leaders were invited.

Referring to the political fallout of the nuclear blasts on neighbouring countries like China, Sonia said the country must strive for peace with its neighbours and engage in active and proactive diplomacy.

Defence Minister George Fernandes's description of China as the country's enemy number one came up for sharp criticism from CWC members, who felt that through these utterances, the minister had set at nought the 10-year-old attempts by India to restore normal relations with that country.

Turning to organisational matters, Sonia announced that the All India Congress Committee would ensure that all pending vacancies in the PCC, district congress committees and block committees would be filled up by June 15.

To give a boost to the party's mass contact programme, Sonia told the CWC members to interact with at least two panchayat samitis in the next 30 days.

Referring to the criticism from several leaders that the Congress operates in a highly centralised manner, Sonia expressed her desire to empower the partymen down the line and to decentralise decision-making.

From autonomy will flow accountability and therefore, accountability should be fixed at all levels, she said.

Sonia also made it clear that the Congress was opposed to the presidential form of government being mooted by the BJP government, and said its remained firmly committed to a representative, parliamentary form of government.

The party, however, recognises the need for wide-ranging electoral reforms and would support the setting up of an effective Lok Pal to curb corruption in public life, earmarking one-third of the seats for women in Parliament and state legislatures and complete autonomy to the state-owned electronic media. The party favoured a cautious approach to the proposed bill on delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies, she said.

UNI

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