Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi exhorted partymen to pull up their socks and come out on the streets with the aim to bring the party back to power in the country's most populous state .
Gandhi was in Lucknow to address the valedictory session of the UP Congress Committee's two-day coordination committee meeting.
In his brief but crisp speech, the Gandhi scion urged partymen to give up their docile and passive approach and get into the gear for the next state assembly elections due in 2012.
"The need of the hour was to reach out to the masses , understand and share their problems and come out on the streets to help hem grapple with those issues", he told the crowded gathering at the state party headquarters , where he spent nearly four hours.
"You also need to build your own confidence , that was extremely important to steer the party ahead", he said, while adding, "you ought to realize that if all other political parties Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bhartiya Janata Party (BSP) were busy targeting the Congress it clearly reflects the potential strength of our party that posed a threat to all of them."
He wondered why UP Congressmen continued to always remain on the defensive instead of taking on others. "It is time that Congress activists become aggressive on people related issues and stop remaining defensive for no rhyme or reason", he said.
He also called upon partymen to launch a full throated campaign against communalism and communal forces.
Embarking on the all important question of finalizing the list of candidates for the next assembly election, he said, "well, the candidature of at least 100--150 was quite widely known and we should be able to announce these by the month of March."
Although he did not specify any deadline for the complete list, AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh later told mediapersons that the final list should be ready by May 31.
Meanwhile, the coordination committee has decided to ensure that the party hold its conventions at the individual city and district levels latest by March 31 as a part of the electoral preparedness.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi may hold a public rally in Banda, to mark the party's protest against what they perceive as "total breakdown of law and order", reflected in the rape of a minor OBC girl by a BSP MLA in his own constituency in that district."
The move is seen as a part of the party's new strategy to launch an offensive against the Mayawati government.
Disclosing this UP Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi said, "this follows Rahul Gandhi's lucknow trip , who expressed his desire to hold a rally in Banda."
Meanwhile, the Allahabad High Court on Tuesday admitted an application moved by the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties in the Banda rape case. The court has also directed the organisation to send a two member woman team to meet the girl at her home and record her statement which would be taken up by the court at the next hearing in the case on January 21.
