Congress plenary session begins
by Pankaj Yadav

     Hyderabad: The 82nd Plenary Session of the Congress party began here today and where the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting will finalise the draft resolutions on politics, economic and foreign policy. The meeting was presided over by party president Sonia Gandhi and attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and senior Ministers and party leaders. Earlier in the evening, on their arrival here, Sonia and Dr Singh were received with warm welcome by Andhra Pradesh Governor Sushil Kumar Shinde, Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, Speaker K R Suresh Reddy and several other Congress leaders at Hyderabad's Begumpet Airport. Soon after her arrival, Sonia Gandhi laid the foundation stone for a pylon being built in memory of freedom fighters and Congress workers, before proceeding to the Gachi Bowli Stadium, the venue of the three-day event. She also declared open a photo exhibition depicting the party`s history at the venue. Over 10,000 delegates, including Chief Ministers of 16 Congress- ruled states, Central Ministers, MPs and other leaders are participating in the plenary, the fifth to be held in Andhra Pradesh. The 82nd plenary of the Congress is likely to come out with some concrete proposals to strengthen the party nationwide, without disturbing its first coalition experiment at the Centre and those in the states, notwithstanding the uncertainty in Karnataka.

    The Karnataka crisis may prompt the party to introspect on the issue of coalition amidst charges by some allies that the Congress was adopting a "big brother" attitude and was going away from the Common Minimum Programme on economic issues. In fact, the reference to Karnatka developments could come in at the extended Congress Working Committee`s meeting this evening, which is essentially called to approve draft resolutions to be presented at the plenary. A K Antony, the CWC member in-charge of Karnataka affairs and party general secretary Margaret Alva who only yesterday held talks with JD (S) supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda at Bangalore will also attend the evening deliberations. However, Congress leaders are on an overdrive to downplay the Karnataka crisis which has caught the leadership off guard. There has been bitterness in a section of the party the way things took shape in Bangalore while there is still another section hoping against hope to retrieve the situation. The party would go all out to retain power in Assam, Kerala, and Pondicherry, while attempting to consolidate its position in Tamil Nadu, where it lost power in 1967 and in West Bengal ten years later. The extended CWC meeting would be attended by all the PCC presidents, chief ministers and CLP leaders.

   The CWC meeting would see a presentation on the achievements of the UPA coalition led by the party, giving clear signals that Congress would utilize all good works of the Manmohan Singh government to promote the party in a big way. A highlight of the plenary this time could be demands for induction of Rahul Gandhi in the CWC and also as AICC general secretary with several party leaders already making such pleas to the Congress chief hailing the MP from Amethi as symbol of youth. Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and Uttaranchal Chief Minister Narayan Dutt Tiwari is not attending the meeting as he is reportedly miffed at not being included as a member of the CWC.

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