CONGRESS SANDESH COMPLETES ITS SEVEN YEAR

Letter to Congress WorkersDear friends,Terrorism has raised its ugly head once again. In India by the attack in Ayodhya andin London, in a series of blasts that left fifty dead and several hundred injured. Onceagain, these terrorist attacks emphasise the need for a united front against thenetworks of terrorism amongst all the world’s countries. The loss of innocent lives isunforgivable and the work of cowards. As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pointedout at the G-8 Summit, India has been dealing with terrorism for a long while, andonce again calls upon all world leaders to take a consistent and united stand againstterrorism. In India, we were lucky since the loss of life was minimal at Ayodhya andour brave soldiers showed their willingness to sacrifice their lives rather than allowterrorists to take any lives or destroy anything. In England, alas, innocent lives werelost. Our deepest condolences to those who lost their loved ones.Apart from man-made terror, the monsoons have also brought floods and devastation in its wake. Large parts of Gujarat,Himachal, Harayana, and other areas along the banks of the Sutlej and Beas have been inundated, leading to loss of lifeand property worth crores. The government has already made relief funds available and the task is being handled on awar-footing. Here, the Bill leading to the creation of a National Disaster Management Committee, that has been passed inthe last Parliament Session, will lead to better preparedness in the face of natural calamities.Today India is party to the G-8 Summit and that shows the strength both of its economy and of its democracy. That is whywe need to emphasize fundamental values again. For India it is particularly important since terrorism in our country canoften take on religious overtones. The issue of Ayodhya must not be over-politicized or used in any way to whip upcommunal hate. It is here that the ideas and strategies formulated by Gandhiji are worth studying and emulating. Gandhijishowed us long ago that there are methods of agitation, other than violence, that can lead to regime change and an endto discrimination of class, colour and creed.The Congress Party has always based itself on three fundamental principles. These were honed through the experience ofthe Freedom struggle and the lead provided by Gandhiji, through his own personal life and actions. These are first, secularism.Secondly, respect for the rights of an individual as an equal citizen irrespective of caste or religion. Finally, we stand for anend to all forms of social discrimination of caste and gender.We firmly believe that it is only the principles of respect for each other as human beings that progress and harmony canbe maintained in society and in the world at large. Our goals are development oriented. And for genuine development tooccur we need both social sector development and economic development. The two go hand in hand. India cannot progressinto a global power if its innards remain torn by inequalities and violence. In our budget and in the CMP we have tried toensure this balance.In the past it was found that subsidies and schemes meant to redress social imbalances fail to deliver because thetargeted groups were unaware of them. Making them aware of the benefits being provided is an urgent task and here theCongress’s frontal organizations can play a major role. Our youth wings, our women’s wings can activate their members toreach out to the people and make them aware of government schemes. They can also play a watch-dog role in ensuringthat targeted amounts are utilized by districts and panchayats. In this way, the party and the government strengthen eachother.At last, let us pray for a good monsoon.July, 2005Congress Sandesh1