Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday urged newly appointed district-level party leaders in Maharashtra to remain firmly committed to the party’s ideology and work to ensure justice for the people.
Addressing a training camp for district Congress presidents near Nashik, Gandhi also demonstrated karate and jujitsu for the participants and spoke about the importance of building mental and physical strength.
Congress Working Committee member Arif Naseem Khan said Gandhi met the newly elected district presidents as well as their families. “He gave them the message that they should stand solidly with the ideology of the Congress and fight to ensure that people get justice,” he said.
Gandhi arrived in Nashik in the morning, met senior Maharashtra Congress leaders and interacted with tribal students before visiting the training camp. He spent around two hours with the district unit presidents.
The 10-day training programme for the newly appointed district Congress chiefs concluded on Wednesday in Gandhi’s presence.
During his one-day visit, Gandhi took stock of the party’s organisational preparedness and met state leaders, tribal representatives and the newly appointed district presidents. The Maharashtra Congress appointed 69 new district and city presidents in May as part of its organisational revamp.
The visit was Gandhi’s second to Maharashtra since August 22, when he attended the Pune leg of the “Chhatron Ki Goonj” student movement against paper leaks, examination irregularities and rising fees.
Former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said state Congress leaders discussed several “current important issues” with Gandhi in Nashik.
The exclusion of more than 2.06 crore electors from Maharashtra’s draft electoral roll following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise was among the issues discussed, Chavan said.
Budgetary allocations for the Nashik Kumbh Mela, scheduled to begin in October, and inflation also figured in the discussions. Chavan alleged that “the focus is on paying 40 per cent commission to some people” in connection with the Kumbh Mela.
“We also discussed issues like farmer suicides in Maharashtra and farmers' opposition to the Rs one lakh crore Shaktipeeth highway,” Chavan said.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders protested against Gandhi’s visit to Nashik, accusing the Congress of opposing women’s representation in Parliament and state assemblies.
Nashik Mayor Himgauri Aher-Adake and other women BJP leaders and supporters took out a protest march against Gandhi’s visit.
(With inputs from PTI)
