Rahul coins new slogan for the Congress
March 31st, 2008 - 11:51 pm ICT by admin
By Sharat Pradhan
Kanpur, March 31 (IANS) Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi Monday spelt out a new slogan for the party - “Congress ke dono haath, garibon ke saath” (Both Congress hands for the poor), drawing loud applause from the hundreds gathered to hear him in this Uttar Pradesh city. Addressing a public rally at Kanpur’s Phool Bagh grounds Monday, the Congress MP said the new slogan would replace the existing one - “Congress ka haath, aam aadmi ke saath” (The Congress hand - the party symbol - is with the common man).
Speaking extempore for a change, unlike his last speech here about two years ago when he pulled out a typed sheet from his pocket to address a rally, the Amethi MP was clearly out to impress the large gathering.
Not only did he focus on the significance of Uttar Pradesh, but also made it a point to highlight how other states had marched far ahead, essentially because of the failure of non-Congress governments to tap the state’s potential.
“During my recent trip to Karnataka I met some young men from Uttar Pradesh who said that they were there because they saw no future for themselves in UP,” said Gandhi, expressing his disillusionment about the state of affairs in the state.
“There was time when UP was the torch bearer for the rest of the country, but today it is far behind all other states,” he lamented.
Hailing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the United Progressive Alliance government’s “pro-poor” policies, he wondered why questions were raised in all quarters, particularly the media, over the recent farm loan waiver of Rs.600 billion.
“I have often been asked if such a waiver is economically feasible for a country like ours. But I wonder why issues of economic feasibility are not raised when it comes to concessions for non-performing assets of big companies,” he asked.
Giving an emotional touch, he went on, “I do not mean to say that you should work only for the poor; all I wish to emphasise is that the poor too have a voice, which more often than not remains unheard - particularly in states like Uttar Pradesh.”
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