Jaipur: At the final day of the Congress' Chintan Shivir in Jaipur, the party came out with a 56-page draft declaration in which it stated that the Congress will boldly and fearlessly take on political parties which are elitist, parochial, sectarian or exclusionary. The declaration said that the party will go into elections on the basis of nationalism, social justice, economic growth for all - especially the aam aadmi and the middle class, and secularism. It also claimed that the party will not allow economic growth to be undermined by vested interests. Calling on all secular and progressive forces to unite, the declaration added that the Congress will try and strengthen its support base, especially with those it has lost favour with.
The declaration stated that the party will go to the people on the basis of the performance of UPA government, the promise of stability and good governance and restatement of its core values. The party said it will continue to be at the forefront of fighting corruption, especially at the bureaucratic and political levels.
Re-committing itself to representing India's middle ground, the party acknowledged that there is a rising educated and aspirational middle class, especially in urban areas and it will continue to create new opportunities for them.
On Pakistan, the draft said India's neighbours and partners must recognise its legitimate security concerns. "Any dialogue must be based on accepted priniciples of civilised behaviours. When these principles are violated India should not hesitate to take credible action," it said.
Maintaining that nepotism in the organisation's structure is a cause of concern, the draft said when leaders recommend a candidate they must be willing to take responsibility in case of failure. The party said the number of terms for presidents of Pradesh Congress Committees and District Congress Committees should be restricted to two and the tenure should not be more than three years.
It said it will launch mass contact programmes at different levels to gather feedback on people's aspirations and priorities. Winnability alone, the draft said, should not be the benchmark for deciding nominees. There should be a balance required between loyalty and winnability, it said.
The draft declaration spoke about two Indias and pledged to speak for both the young middle class India and the young deprived India. It also promised to create ten million jobs every year.
With additional information from PTI
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