The appointment of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi as interim President of Congress party has infused a sense of purpose in the party unit of Uttarakhand. The party is now gearing up to make the week long programme commemorating the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi as a success. Like in other parts of the country, the Uttarakhand Congress was disillusioned and demoralised after crushing defeat in the Lok Sabha elections and the resignation of Rahul Gandhi from the post of President had further deteriorated the situation.
The morale of the party was at its lowest ebb as the grand old party was unable to solve the leadership puzzle. With Congress leaders managing to persuade Sonia Gandhi to take over the reins of the party back, confidence seems to have came back in the party.
The President of the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC), Pritam Singh said that the election of Sonia Gandhi as party President would instil new confidence in the party. He said that her experience would strengthen the party.
In his Facebook post, former Chief Minister and member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), Harish Rawat welcomed election of Sonia Gandhi. Terming Sonia Gandhi as a motherly figure for the party, he said that Rahul Gandhi would now assume role of Arjun of Mahabharata and like Lord Krishna, Sonia would be his charioteer.
The Vice President of the Uttarakhand Congress, Surya Kant Dhasmana said that Sonia Gandhi is like a cementing force and her election would prevent migration of leaders from the party.
The party now hopes that the upcoming week long programme of birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi would act as a binder for the faction ridden party and help in boosting the morale of the party cadre.
It is a well know fact that the Congress party in Uttarakhand is divided into factions headed by former chief minister Harish Rawat, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Pritam Singh and former PCC President Kishore Upadhyaya.
Incidentally, the programme is first mega event of the party after it received a severe drubbing in Lok Sabha elections. In Uttarakhand the BJP not only won all the five seats but its candidates secured a staggering 61 percent of the popular vote.
The Congress candidates lagged far behind with only 31.40 percent of the vote polled. In such a situation, the immediate challenge before the party leaders is to infuse confidence in the rank and file of the party.
Programme of 75th Birth Anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi.
The week long programme would commence on August 14. On the day seminars on contribution of Rajiv Gandhi in development of the nation would be organised at all block headquarters. Blood donation camps and fruit distribution programmes would be held in the hospitals. The Independence Day celebrations would be held at all district headquarters on August 15. On August 16, district level programmes would be held by the party. In these programmes, assay writing competitions on role of Rajiv Gandhi would be held in schools. Apart from them plantation drives and blood donation camps would be held in all districts. On August 19, a mega state level programme would be held in Haridwar where a nation unity march would be taken out.
