Party workers want Rahul Gandhi to be Cong president: D K Shivakumar
Bengaluru, Oct 12: Ahead of the working committee meeting, clamour seems to be growing for Rahul Gandhi to take over as Congress president, as its Karnataka unit chief D K Shivakumar on Tuesday said it is the unanimous voice of the party workers from across the country.
"Whole country, Congress workers, want Rahul Gandhi to take up the responsibility. We have been putting pressure on him since he resigned. The unanimous voice of the Congress workers from across the country is Rahul Gandhi (should take up the mantle of the party)," Shivakumar said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said "Rahul Gandhi is discharging 90 per cent of the responsibilities even now, we want him to take up the responsibility."
"There is a Congress Working Committee meeting on October 16....let's see," he said.
Another senior party leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah too on Monday had expressed his wish that Rahul Gandhi take charge as the party president.
On reports about the party's leadership offering a national role for Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar said it is for the leadership to decide and no such discussion has happened with the state unit.
"It is for the party and the legislature party leader (Siddaramaiah), I don't want to interfere in it, these are mere speculations now, it has not been discussed with us," he said.
There have been speculations that AICC president Sonia Gandhi had recently offered a national role in the party for Siddaramaiah, which he is said to have refused.
Rejecting such reports, Siddaramaiah, however, clarified that no such role was offered to him.
The KPCC president also claimed that several people are keen on joining the Congress, and were holding talks with other leaders and local leaders.
Stating that he was gathering information on coal and power shortage in Karnataka, the former state power minister, in response to a question, said "during our (Congress) rule, we had excess power and we were selling it to others...."
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Kerala Assembly pays homage to former PM Manmohan Singh
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The Kerala Assembly on Monday paid homage to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who died last month, and described him as a unique personality, able administrator, brilliant economist, and a determined patriot.
Cutting across politics, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan, Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer and other leaders hailed the contribution of Singh in various fields.
The 13th session of the 15th Kerala Assembly, which began on Friday, was adjourned on Monday after paying tribute to the former Prime Minister.
During his speech, Chief Minister Vijayan recalled that apart from being the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh was known in many capacities as an internationally renowned economist, exemplary teacher, and eminent bureaucrat, and as the country's finance minister.
There may not be another person who has held all the pivotal positions that shape India's economic policy, he said.
The CM especially mentioned about the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and the Right to Information Act launched by Singh's government.
Though the CPI(M) had some differences of opinion about certain policies of the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government, his stand for protecting constitutional values and the democratic system of the country was commendable, Vijayan further said.
Through the demise of Singh, the country had lost a gentle and determined patriot and a brilliant economist who firmly believed in secular values, he said.
Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan recalled various initiatives implemented by Singh in finding out solutions to the problems faced by common people.
He said Singh was a leader who strongly upheld the secular and democratic values and the one who had unwavering commitment and dedication towards the country.
During the address in the House, the Congress leader also said that Singh had courageously implemented the economic reforms in the country despite criticisms, and it had helped the nation progress financially.
Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer also said that the country had lost a brilliant economist and a determined statesman.
Singh's contributions to nation building as a finance minister and a Prime Minister went beyond his financial expertise, Shamseer added.
Singh, the architect of India's economic reforms, died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, on December 26 at the age of 92.
