Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Congress eyes NREGA repeat, Rahul Gandhi to cash in on direct cash transfer ahead of 2014 Lok Sabha polls

NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 28, 2012





In a concerted bid to bolster Rahul Gandhi \'s chances of becoming the Prime Minister in 2014 or earlier, the Congress has drawn up plans to cash in on the direct cash transfer scheme announced by the Prime Minister\'s Office on Monday.



Smelling a NREGA-type electoral windfall from the landmark scheme, the Gandhi scion has convened a meeting of Congress presidents from 51 pilot districts spread across a dozen states (selected to implement the scheme in the first phase) in New Delhi next month to coach them about the advantages of the scheme and its immense electoral potential.



Finance Minister P. Chidambaram will be on hand to explain the nitty-gritty of the scheme being launched from January 1.



Terming it a \"gamechanger\" and \"path-breaking\" programme from the point of view of ordinary citizens and that its benefits will be longlasting, Chidambaram said the scheme is aimed at plugging leakages and ensure efficient delivery of benefits.



Rahul, who was made head of a high profile six-member election coordination committee to fine tune the party\'s poll strategy ahead of the next Lok Sabha polls, on Tuesday attended a meeting of UPA allies chaired by Sonia Gandhi and attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and senior cabinet ministers.





Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh with the party manifesto at a press meet.

This is the first time Rahul attended a meeting of allies that comprised senior leaders such as Sharad Pawar.



Sources said after the Gujarat elections, Rahul is expected to hold a series of huddles with senior party leaders and cabinet ministers to discuss the election strategy.



Away from public glare, he has appointed 50-odd observers across the country to collect feedback from each Lok Sabha constituency so as to select winnable candidates at least a couple of months before the polls.



The party is already with a catchy slogan to sell the scheme to the aam admi. If in the 2004 elections, the party captured the imagination of the voters with the catchy slogan \"Aam admi ka haath, Congress ka saath,\" the slogan in 2014 appears to be \"Aapka paisa aapke haath\" which is bound to have some emotional connect with the marginalised sections of society.





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Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh, the architect of the 2004 slogan, indirectly linked the new slogan to the concern expressed by Rahul\'s father and late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who had 25 years ago, lamented that \"out of Rs.1 only 15 paise reached the intended beneficiaries\".

\"We decided to cut down leakages... it is the haq (due) of the people,\" he said on Tuesday.



Giving top billing to the \"landmark\" scheme, Chidambaram, Ramesh and AICC spokesperson P.C. Chacko addressed a joint press conference at the AICC headquarters.



\"The Congress is a political party, not an NGO. We had promised cash transfer of benefits and subsidies in our election manifesto of 2009. Where is the talk of elections?\" Ramesh asked.



Chidambaram denied the Opposition charge that the scheme amounted to bribing the people or it was launched with an eye on early elections.



CPM leader Sitaram Yechury alleged that the government was reducing subsidies without saying so.



After getting Parliament\'s stamp on FDI, the government is expected to push a few key reform Bills and pass the antigraft Lokpal law. Chidambaram is also gearing up to present a populist budget.



These steps will help the government in the event of an early election, sources said.


News From: http://www.7StarNews.com

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