– Abdul Baari MasoudNew Delhi: Following the charge-sheet against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Congress on Saturday announced a nationwide ‘Save Constitution’ campaign from April 25 to May 30. As part of the drive, senior leaders will hold press conferences across various cities to counter the BJP’s disinformation on the National Herald issue.
The decision was taken at a meeting of Congress general secretaries, state in-charges, and heads of frontal organisations, chaired by party president Mallikarjun Kharge.
After the meeting, Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh announced that following the Ahmedabad AICC resolution, ‘Samvidhan Bachao’ rallies will be held at the PCC level from April 25–30, at the district level from May 3–10, and across 4,500 assembly segments from May 11–17, followed by a door-to-door campaign from May 20–30.
Jairam Ramesh accused the BJP of misusing the Enforcement Directorate against Congress leaders, calling the National Herald case a political vendetta by two individuals with a criminal mindset. He said Congress will counter BJP’s disinformation through press conferences across various cities from April 21 to 24.
“This is not a legal issue, but a political issue smacking of political vendetta, politics of persecution, intimidation and fear mongering,” he said. Referring to the Ahmedabad session resolution, he added that the party’s focus will remain on social, economic, and political justice. The meeting reiterated the demand for a nationwide caste census and reservation for SC, ST, and OBC students in private institutions. It also reaffirmed the demand to remove the 50 percent reservation cap.
The party reiterated its commitment to economic justice, including a legal guarantee on MSP, fixing it based on the Swaminathan formula, and debt waiver for farmers. It also emphasized the need to revive MSMEs, many of which have closed due to Chinese imports.
Jairam Ramesh mentioned efforts to strengthen and empower DCC presidents, with a new appointment process involving five observers—four from the PCC and one from the AICC. The DCC presidents’ appointments will be completed in Gujarat by May 31.
