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The Congress’s Samvad Baithak , a platform for the partymen and Ministers to share ideas, will be held at Surajkund in Haryana on Friday.
About 70 leaders, including the members and permanent invitees in the Congress Working Committee and 23 Cabinet Ministers and 12 Ministers of State with independent charge are supposed to attend the meeting to debate the current political situation, economic challenges and the progress of implementation of the United Progressive Alliance’s manifesto.
The six-hour long discussions will be initiated by party President Sonia Gandhi.
Her opening remarks on the political situation will detail the “bitter fight” the party is engaged in with the Opposition and the anti-corruption activists.
Apart from Ministers, the first family of the Congress itself is under attack from the Opposition. Days after the India Against Corruption launched a campaign against Gandhi’s son-in-law, Robert Vadra, the Janata Party president, Subramanian Swamy, had accused the Congress president and her son, Rahul Gandhi, of usurping the real estate of a trust that was managing National Herald daily.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will make a detailed presentation on the economic challenges.
Finance Minister P. Chidambaram will initiate a discussion on the Prime Minister’s presentation. Issue like inflation, increase in the oil and LPG prices and the FDI in retail are likely to take the centre stage of the discussions.
In a major relief to the Government, the Congress has already backed the Centre’s pro-reform decisions. The meeting, sources said, is to ensure “full confidence” of the party leadership on the reform agenda.
Senior party leaders are likely to urge the Government to expedite the implementation of the UPA’s promises, such as the Right to Food and the Right to Home.
The Food Security Bill and model legislation for land reforms will also be discussed.
jigeesh.am@thehindu.co.in
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