BHUBANESHWAR: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today underscored the need for unity and discipline in the party to successfully fight against the BJD government in the State.
Addressing the extended executive body of the state unit at the Congress Bhavan here, Rahul said that discipline is necessary in the party. "I am not talking about the discipline of RSS but a free for all is not permissible," he said and added that there should be a limit. "Leaders and workers should not cross a line," he said.
Stating that there is a good working relation between the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) and Congress Legislature Party (CLP), Rahul said that the party should take up issues concerning the people. Leaders should go to the people and take up their issues affecting them in their everyday life, he said.
Referring to his visit to Bargarh on Thursday and Sishu Bhavan at Cuttack today, the AICC vice-president said that state government has neglected the health, agriculture and education sectors.
The government is not investing the required funds in these sectors either, he said and called upon the partymen to fight to correct the wrong decisions of the government.
He alleged that the Narendra Modi government at the Centre is working to promote the interests of the corporates and against the poor and downtrodden people.
Congress should fight for them at all levels, he said and added that the inability of the BJP to pass the Land Acquisition Bill is a great victory for the Congress.
Congress wanted consent clause to be part of the Bill, he said and added that land acquired by the government if not utilised should be returned to owner.
Besides, the Congress also wanted the labourers working on the land acquired by the government to be given compensation, he said."When the Centre did not accept these demands, we opposed the BIll," he said.
Later, addressing a conclave of women, dalits, scheduled tribes and backward class people, the Congress vice-president alleged that the Modi government is against poor and downtrodden people.
"When Congress raises issues of poor, the party is dubbed anti-development, but when BJP works to protect the interest of corporates, it is pro-development," he said.