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Journalism of Courage
In her whistlestop five-hour tour of Pune on Wednesday, Congress president Sonia Gandhi said the party would review the 15-point programme for welfare of minorities, first launched by Indira Gandhi in 1983. She said the revised programme will be announced by PM Manmohan Singh soon.
Inaugurating the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Muslim Cooperative Bank, Gandhi tried to list the measures taken by UPA to help minorities. She said the alliance had always strived to work for the minorities and had taken several measures like the Bill for Prevention of Communal Violence (pending with the standing committee) and given constitutional powers to the National Commission for Minorities. She added that the government had also increased the quota for Haj pilgrims and provided concessional fares even after an increase in world fuel prices.
Making a note of young girls standing with placards reading ‘Do more for Muslim Girls’ Education’, Sonia said she had it in mind and would definitely do something about it.
She praised the bank for having got ‘A’ rating for the last 30 years. ‘‘Is se jyada taarif kya ho sakti hai ki yeh taximen or rickshawalo ka bhi bank kehlata hain (What more praise can you get when it is called the bank of the taximen and rickshawallas,’’ she said.
Later at the Congress Bhavan, addressing party leaders and office-bearers, she said the national convention of the party would be held in Hyderabad next month. Gandhi said the convention would decide on the party’s stand on various social, political and economic issues and also set an agenda for development of the nation.
However, she made it clear to party leaders and ministers that they should bridge the distance between the government and the masses.
Asking the ministers to put their act together, she said party leaders should stop being selfish. ‘‘Instead of thinking what you have gained from the party, you should ask yourself what you have given to the party,’’ she said.
