The Congress Working Committee, the party’s top decision-making body, on Saturday adopted a resolution urging all democratic forces to condemn and resist the Narendra Modi government’s “assault” on the Constitution, news agency PTI reported. In its first meeting since the reconstitution of CWC, the committee said the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government has practically destroyed principles and practices of cooperative federalism.
Top 10 points from CWC resolutions:
1. The CWC pledged to restore “a nation of which every Indian, irrespective of caste or religion, rich or poor, young or old, can be proud”.
2. In a resolution on Manipur, the CWC expressed its profound sense of loss and anguish at the ongoing situation of ethnic violence in the state. “The people of Manipur have witnessed extreme devastation and are facing innumerable hardships. More than 200 lives have been lost, over 500 injured and more than 5,000 houses gutted in arson-related incidents. A staggering number of over 60,000 people are displaced and continue to live in dire conditions in relief camps across the state,” the resolution stated.
3. In its resolution on Himachal Pradesh, the CWC appealed to the Centre to set aside politics and declare it a “national disaster” and provide financial assistance. “About 430 people have died, 39 are missing, a large number of farmers have lost their crops, at least 12,000 homes have been destroyed and the state has suffered huge losses in terms of destruction of property and critical infrastructure. The total estimated loss to the state is more than ₹13,000 crore,” the resolution said.
4. The Congress resolved to make the Opposition’s INDIA bloc an “ideological and electoral success” to free the country from “divisive politics” and ensure that people get a government that is sensitive and accountable. The CWC also “wholeheartedly” welcomed the continuing consolidation of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) claiming it has already rattled Prime Minister Modi and the BJP.
5. In its resolution, the CWC, also expressed grave concern at the “increasing unemployment and continuous rise in prices, especially of essential commodities”. “The prime minister’s so-called Rozgar melas are a hoax to cover up the abject failure to create, as promised, two crore jobs a year,” the resolution said.
6. The CWC claimed that the failure to conduct the decennial Census, due in 2021, is a “national and an international shame”. In this context, the CWC called for increasing the existing upper limit of reservations for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and OBCs.
7. It also condoled the demise of veteran leader and former Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy.
8. It also noted that the chief election commissioner and election commissioners’ appointment bill will severely compromise the independence of the poll panel to conduct free and fair elections.
9. Ther Congress also demanded that the women’s reservation bill be passed during a special session of Parliament, a resolution noted.
10. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah and general secretaries KC Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh, among others, were present at the meeting.
