Cong workers to choose 15 candidates

SEWAGRAM: Amid surveys and poll predictions painting gloomy prospects for his party in the Lok Sabha elections three months away, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi put up a brave face on Friday. "One person cannot run this country of crores of people," he said in a veiled attack on Narendra Modi, BJP's PM candidate.

He also announced that the party, in a deviation from practice, would give tickets to candidates who are chosen by party workers.

Talking of devolution of power to local bodies under Article 73, 74 that his father, former PM Rajiv Gandhi, initiated decades ago, Gandhi said: "Times have changed in politics and we too have to change. We must know the grassroots-level worker. We will start by giving tickets to 15 such candidates chosen by you this time. If it works well we will implement it in all elections and expand on it."

Gandhi, who is also spearheading the parliamentary election campaign, said the Congress wants to empower the people, give them enough rights so that the people can participate in the decision-making process. Addressing elected functionaries of the party of local-self bodies of Maharashtra first, he said the idea of concentrating all powers in one man goes against the very values of diversity that India stood for. "India cannot become a superpower without empowering women, youth and local bodies," he said.

In his speech that lasted all of 12 minutes, Gandhi boosted the party workers calling them the party's backbone. "Go and fight the elections without any fear. No power on earth can defeat you," he said.

Gandhi arrived by a private plane to Nagpur in the morning and then went by helicopter to Sewagram.

With Mahatma Gandhi's Ashram - Bapu Kuti - as backdrop, Gandhi later addressed another interactive session with panchayat representatives from over a dozen states as part of the party's programme to involve stakeholders from various section in its manifesto making exercise for the ensuing elections.

This is a second such initiative after Bhopal where he interacted with women activists earlier this week. "The party manifesto will no longer be a closed door exercise by a few leaders. It will now echo your views. We will implement it to the last word," he said.

Gandhi also pledged to pass the women's reservation bill giving 33% quota to women in Lok Sabha .

"If we can't offer jobs to crores of youth in a systematic way, if we cannot empower our pradhan of panchayat, MPs, MLAs and other people's representatives, our country cannot become a superpower," he said.

Strong local self-governing bodies are crucial for India to emerge stronger, he asserted. Drawing analogy between panchayat raj and public call offices that started telecom revolution in the country during the Rajiv Gandhi era, he said, "Panchayats would bring a similar change in country's political reforms."

Gandhi, who returned to Nagpur in the evening, interacted with select journalists and shared his political philosophy, his idea of reforming the Congress to empower party workers, especially women.