Congress holds 'Nava Sankalpa Shibira' in poll-bound Karnataka
Bengaluru, June 2: With the participation of over 500 leaders, Karnataka Congress' 'Nava Sankalpa Shibira' kick-started at a resort on the outskirts of the city on Thursday to discuss the way forward and the party's strategy, ahead of assembly polls next year.
The two-day brainstorming session, being held on the lines of party's recent Udaipur 'Chintan Shivir', saw top leaders urging its office bearers and workers to abide by the party discipline and work unitedly, with an aim to bring the Congress back to power in the state, by achieving the target of winning over 150 seats.
AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala, state Congress President D K Shivakumar, Congress Legislature Party leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah along with top party leaders from the state are participating in the Shibira.
"First we need to bring the party to power, 150 plus seats target needs to be achieved, only then we will be able to empower each one of you and through you to the people of Karnataka," Surjewala said at the inaugural.
Noting that the party gets weakened if there are divisions, he said, if there is an impression that leaders at the top are fighting among themselves, then the message of division will undermine other things.
"It is the unity of the party, leadership and its cadre that will ultimately help you win the election," he said and added that disappointments are fine, it can be addressed, but it should not become dissensions, as it is harmful to the party.
Surjewala's statement gains significance amid growing voices of factionalism in the party and alleged one-upmanship between Siddarmaiah and Shivakumar, who are nursing Chief Ministerial ambitions, and their supporters, who want to assert their respective leaders' hold on the party.
Congress is a democratic party and everybody should be permitted to speak, and others' opinion must be respected, he further said, but when the "Lakshman Rekha" of discipline is crossed, then it harms the party.
"This quest to go out and give gyan to the party through the media has to stop. We have 13-14 months for elections, you are not realising that by getting four minutes of fame in the media, you are undermining your own character, position and compromising the position of the party..." he said.
The AICC General Secretary also expressed confidence that the deliberations at the meet will pave the way for Congress' victory in Karnataka in the times to come.
He also said that a state level war room will be set up to coordinate up to assembly election next year and 2024 Lok Sabha polls, making it a standing feature at the PCC.
The state President has set up six committees - economic affairs and price rise, social justice and empowerment, organisation, farmers and agriculture, youth-women-education and employment and political affairs and AICC programmes implementation - to deliberate at the meet.
KPCC chief Shivakumar said, "Individual is not important here, party is important, keeping it in mind, also the 2023 assembly polls and 2024 parliamentary polls, our aim should be to bring this party to power. Along with that we have to also keep in mind the Congress' ideology."
Assembly constituency, district, region and state specific manifestos will be prepared assuring to provide a pro development government, a government with a good governance, he said.
Shivakumar also asked delegates not to go to the media regarding deliberations at the meet, and warned of action in case of any violations.
The Shibira will also discuss implementing the Udaipur declaration, which proposes reforms that include "one family one ticket", 50 per cent reservation to those below 50 years of age at all levels of the organisation, "one person one post", among others.
Stressing on the need to strengthen the party from booth level to win the elections whether it is Assembly or Lok Sabha or BBMP of Zilla and Taluk Panchayat, Siddaramaiah said, "We will have to win the assembly elections that will come in April-May 2023, it is the challenge before us."
"Congress doesn't want to win just to come to power, but it is required for this state and its people to survive, BJP should be unseated from power," he said.
Accusing the BJP governments in the state and the Centre of 'destroying' the economy, Leader of Opposition in state Assembly alleged that to cover it up, they have brought in religious and emotive issues.
According to sources, the KPCC President has instructed delegates attending the meet to keep their phones away during the sessions.
ನವ ಸಂಕಲ್ಪ ಶಿಬಿರವು ವಿಚಾರಗಳ ವಿನಿಮಯಕ್ಕೆ ಉತ್ತಮ ವೇದಿಕೆ ಒದಗಿಸಿದೆ. ನವ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ಉದಯಕ್ಕೆ ಈ ಶಿಬಿರವು ಅಡಿಗಲ್ಲು ಹಾಕಿದೆ. ಜೊತೆಯಾಗಿ ಮುನ್ನಡೆದು ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಏಳ್ಗೆಗೆ ಒಟ್ಟಾಗಿ ದುಡಿಯೋಣ. #NavaSankalpaShibira pic.twitter.com/gTv8q1XgOm
— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) June 2, 2022
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Bihar: Over 150 children fall ill after consuming 'mid-day meal' in Saharsa
Saharsa (PTI): More than 150 children were taken ill after allegedly consuming food that was part of the mid-day meal in a school in Bihar’s Saharsa district, a senior official said on Thursday.
The incident occurred at a middle school in Baluaha village of the district.
The official said that 115 children were undergoing treatment at the Sadar Hospital, while around 50 students were admitted to Mahishi Public Health Centre.
“We received information that several children fell ill after consuming the mid-day meal in Baluaha. The children were initially treated at the primary health centre, but later, many were referred to the Sadar Hospital,” Saharsa District Magistrate Deepesh Kumar told reporters.
“According to doctors, the health condition of the children has improved, but they will be kept under observation for some time. There is no need to panic. Some kids are having mild fever. They are being treated accordingly,” Kumar said.
Meanwhile, family members of some children claimed that a snake was found in the container in which cooked pulses was stored at the school.
Of the 545 students present in the school, 200 had already eaten their meals by the time the snake was spotted, and later complained of stomach ache and vomiting, they said.
Regarding the claims, the DM said food samples have been collected from the school.
“We will be able to comment on this only after the results of the tested samples arrive,” he said.
