Congress' connection with people 'broken', we have to re-establish it: Rahul Gandhi
Udaipur (Rajasthan)(PTI): Acknowledging that the Congress' connection with people has been broken , Rahul Gandhi announced on Sunday that the party will undertake a yatra in October to re-establish and strengthen it.
He also laid emphasis on the "one family, one ticket" rule to ensure that multiple members of one family do not contest polls without working for the party.
The Congress on Sunday adopted a 'Nav Sankalp' -- a road map for wide-ranging reforms in the party organisation to make it battle-ready for the next round of assembly and Lok Sabha polls.
The party has adopted the one-family, one ticket' formula with the rider that another family member seeking to contest elections should have worked in the party in an exemplary manner for at least five years.
Addressing the closing session of the party's three-day Nav Sankalp Chintan Shivir' here, Gandhi said, We have to accept that the Congress' connection with the people has been broken.
Our fight is for ideology. We have to go to the people and sit with them, the connection the party had with people has to be re-established, he said.
We have decided that the Congress party in October will got to people and take out a yatra and strengthen the relation...with people. This cannot happen with short-cuts, he said.
Hailing the frank discussions at the Shivir, Gandhi said which other political party would allow this kind of a discussion where the party leadership is bluntly told what the Congress party feels.
Certainly, the BJP, and RSS would never allow such a thing, he said.
The Congress has always provided a platform where people can hold deliberations without any fear or worry, he said.
Asserting that India is a Union of States, Gandhi said, "It is critical for the union of the country that the states and the people are allowed to have a conversation. The only alternative to a conversation between the people of India is violence between people of India, he said.
He alleged a systematic destruction of various institutions was taking place.
The day this country's institutions stop working, the day this country stops having a conversation with itself, we will be in serious trouble, he said.
He said there is fear that the country's demographic dividend will turn into a demographic disaster and alleged that the BJP government was responsible for it.
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Thumbay Group begins work on Sharjah’s first private integrated psychiatric, rehabilitation hospital
Sharjah: Thumbay Group has laid the foundation stone for the Thumbay Psychiatric and Rehabilitation Hospital at Sharjah Healthcare City, a 120-bed facility that the company says will be the region’s first private, fully integrated hospital dedicated to psychiatric care, neuro-rehabilitation and addiction recovery.
The groundbreaking ceremony was led by Dr. Abdelaziz Saeed Al Mheiri, who is also a member of the Sharjah Executive Council, in the presence of Dr. Thumbay Moideen.
Spread across 110,000 square feet, the hospital is being developed to address growing demand for specialised mental health and rehabilitation services in the UAE and the wider Gulf region.
The facility will include inpatient and outpatient services in psychiatry, neuro-rehabilitation, addiction treatment, child and adolescent mental health, and care for mood and anxiety disorders. It will also feature VIP inpatient villas designed to provide privacy and support long-term recovery.
A mosque, named the Thumbay Masjid, will be constructed within the campus and will be open to the public.
The hospital is being designed to meet standards for Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), an internationally recognised accreditation system for rehabilitation facilities.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Abdelaziz Saeed Al Mheiri said the project reflects Sharjah’s commitment to strengthening healthcare infrastructure in all aspects of wellbeing.
“Mental health and rehabilitation have long needed dedicated infrastructure, and we are proud to support a private partner whose vision matches the ambition of this Emirate,” he said.
Dr. Thumbay Moideen said the project was a response to a growing need for specialised mental healthcare services in the region.
“We have spent over three decades building healthcare in this region, and the one conversation that has grown louder every year is mental health. Families have been carrying this quietly for too long. This hospital is our answer. It is purpose-built, not retrofitted, and it has been designed around dignity, recovery, and outcomes that families can trust,” he said.
Construction is scheduled to begin in June 2026, and the hospital is expected to become operational by mid-2027.
Once completed, the facility will become part of Thumbay Group’s network of healthcare, education and diagnostic institutions across the UAE.
