Veteran Congress leaders of Rajasthan, who assembled at the Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters here for a meeting on Tuesday, refuted the charges of growing factionalism in the party and affirmed that Congress workers would make united efforts to strengthen the party.
The meeting of senior party leaders was presided over by All India Congress Committee general secretary in charge of the State, Gurudas Kamat. The presence of two former Chief Ministers and a number of former Pradesh Congress Committee presidents added significance to the occasion.
Mr. Kamat told reporters that the Congress workers were engaged in making the party strong at the grassroots to enable it to play a meaningful role as an Opposition party in the State. People dissatisfied with the performance of the Bharatiya Janata Party government would overwhelmingly support the Congress, he said.
The party leaders deliberated upon speeding up the organisational activities and evolving strategies to reach out to the people and raise the issues of public importance during the next two-and-a-half years before the 2018 State Assembly elections. Reorganisation of district units of the PCC and appointment of district Congress presidents was discussed in different sessions.
Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot attended the meeting despite his ill health, while former Chief Minister Jagannath Pahadia also came to provide an overview about eastern Rajasthan. Besides the current PCC president Sachin Pilot, former presidents Girija Vyas, Narain Singh, B.D. Kalla and Chandrabhan were present.
Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly Rameshwar Dudi and former Union Ministers of State Mahadev Singh Khandela, Lal Chand Kataria and Namo Narain Meena were also present. AICC secretary Mirza Irshad Baig accompanied Mr. Kamat from New Delhi.
