6 Nov 2002

CONG CMs TO UNDERGO CLASSES AT MT ABU ON NOV 8 AND 9

From Jal Khambata

NEW DELHI: A Congress chief ministers' 2-day conclave being held at Mount Abu tourist town from Friday will be reviewing their performance on the anvil of the "Guwahati resolve" though the party spokesman sought to stress that the performance would not come under scanner.

Experts in different fields will be also taking classes of the chief ministers to educate them on what they should do for rural development, agriculture, drought relief, education, health, infrastructure and humane approach in security and law and order management.

Party spokesman S Jaipal Reddy repeatedly affirmed that it would be "review of working of the Congress Governments in the light of the Guwahati resolve" but insisted that it was not review of any chief minister's performance.

The Guwanati resolve is, however, wide covering various aspects and as such the chief ministers will have to present working of their respective government explaining what they have done to implement the resolve that they took at a similar conclave in Guwahati.

Reddy also made it clear at the AICC Press briefing on Wednesday that there will be no declaration, no resolve at the end but the Media will have an opportunity of interaction at the end with Congress President Sonia Gandhi who will inaugurate the conclave Friday at 9 morning and remain present all through the conclave.

Since it is a conclave of the Congress chief ministers, there is no question of the invitation going to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohd Sayeed who heads a coalition government with Congress as main partner, Reddy said in reply to a question. Nor will the conclave be attended by the deputy chief minister who belongs to the Congress "since it's CMs' conclave."

This will be the fourth conclave of the Congress chief ministers where there will be interacting with Sonia Gandhi with a report card on implementation of the poll promises which have brought them to power. The first two such meetings were held in Delhi and the third in Guwahati.

Reddy denied if the conclave had anything to do with mobilising the sources in the Congress-ruled states for the upcoming Assembly elections in Gujarat. It is only a coincidence that the conclave s taking place close to the state as otherwise it was decided to hold it long back in Guwahati, he said.

Sonia Gandhi's aides have decided to use the conclave for enlightening the party chief ministers with perspectives on various subjects with the help of experts in various fields by inviting them for presentation, followed by the "in-house discussion" to which the Media will be barred.

Former Union Minister and former JNU Vice-Chancellor Yogendra K Alagh has been invited to take a session of the CMs on "rural development, agriculture and decentralisation with special emphasis on weaker sections, employment and drought relief.

UNICEF advisor A K Shiv Kumar will be giving a lecture on education, health and women empowerment, while Ravi Parthasarathy, an expert on infrastructure, will be speaking on the infrastructural development like power, roads and water management.

For a lecture on law and order and sensitivity, with special stress on effective humane approach, the Congress has picked up M K Narayanan, a retired Intelligence Bureau chief. END