LIVE TV
Odisha
Recommended Stories
Bhubaneswar: Within less than a month of his Odisha visit, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi initiated the exercise which he had promised to his party activists here- to bring a ‘Change’, when he discussed with party MPs of Odisha, Jharkhand and Bihar about poll strategies to regain tribal support.
The Congress heir apparent, during the 80 minute marathon meeting in New Delhi wanted to reach the root of the fast declining faith of tribals on the party and the resultant votes.
“Rahul wants a national agenda for the welfare of tribals which is right now not in the Congress party and on which the party can ride the 2014 polls,” Nabrangpur Congress MP Pradeep Majhi said.
The Gandhi scion also wanted the MPs to sketch a road map to strengthen the organization for the ensuing polls and concentrate on tribal issues to woo the voters. Gandhi is learnt to have asked the leaders to reach out various socio-religious and community leaders of various groups of tribals in their respective areas.
Sundergarh Congress MP Hemanand Biswal said the meeting delved into issues focusing on ways how to moboilise tribal voters of the state and reach these people with issues like ‘right to land’.
“Very soon a two-member committee from each state will submit a ground report on this (tribal issue) to Rahul and we hope then only an agenda will be prepared,” Biswal added.
According to sources, Rahul too wanted the Congress leaders in Jharkhand and Odisha to chalk out an interaction programme with different sections of the tribals in these states. Gandhi wanted an assessment from the MPs about the party's performance in the Assembly elections in 2013 and general elections in 2014 in the states.
Party insiders however feel that the Thursday interaction was significant taking into account the seven-hour long meeting with functionaries of 17 organisational districts in Sambalpur on February 18 during Rahul's two day visit to the state.
Rahul had also held deliberations with party functionaries and office bearers from 16 organisational districts in Cuttack as part of the exercise to bolster the prospects of Congress in the elections due next year.
