- Committee will be chaired by former Maharashtra Minister Nitin Raut
- BJP governments in the Centre and Gujarat are hiding the statistics of crimes against women
NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, AHMEDABAD, JAN 4
The Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday set up a three-member fact-finding committee to evaluate the party’s performance in the recently concluded Gujarat Assembly elections and suggest corrective measures.
कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष श्री मल्लिकार्जुन खरगे कल दिनांक 5 जनवरी को बिहार में #BharatJodoYatra के तहत जनसभा को संबोधित करेंगे। pic.twitter.com/LT9cViJkjs
— Congress (@INCIndia) January 4, 2023
The committee will be chaired by former Maharashtra minister Nitin Raut, who also heads the party’s SC department. The panel has been asked to submit its report to the party within two weeks.
हो निडर…चल बेफिकर
देश पुकारे…यूं ही आगे बढ़#BharatJodoYatra pic.twitter.com/5bF7HLRLqp— Congress (@INCIndia) January 4, 2023
The other members of the committee are Shakeel Ahmad Khan and Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, an official communication from the party said.
The party has set up several such panels in the past to assess the party’s poll debacle in several states but none of the reports have been discussed within the party forums, Congress leaders maintained.
A delegation of MPs, MLAs and other office bearers from @INCAssam met Congress President Shri @kharge in Delhi, today. pic.twitter.com/eRiLTeelty
— Congress (@INCIndia) January 4, 2023
The formation of the committee comes in the wake of the Congress’ worst-ever performance in the Gujarat Assembly polls where it won only 17 seats out of total 182 Assembly constituencies.
“The Congress president has constituted a fact-finding committee to evaluate the results of the recently concluded assembly elections in Gujarat and suggest measures to be taken, with immediate effect,” it said.
#BharatJodoYatra pic.twitter.com/SZSweH2JC9
— Gujarat Congress (@INCGujarat) January 4, 2023
“The committee will submit a report to Hon’ble Congress president within two weeks,” All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary KC Venugopal said in the communication.
Many in the party, however, feel that reports of such committees are gathering dust in the party and the recommendations have not been implemented.
Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi had set up a committee headed by former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan after the party’s poll debacle in Assam and Kerala and some other states, but the recommendations were not discussed at the party forum.
Veteran party leader A K Antony has in the past headed several such committees on fact facing the party’s performance in the past, but senior leaders point out that none of them have seen any of Antony’s reports and wondered where they are.
Deeply saddened by the untimely demise of Mr. Thirumahan Everaa, MLA of Erode East Assembly & General Secretary of @INCTamilNadu.
A staunch pillar of the Congress party, he reflected the qualities of his great grandfather, Thanthai Periyar.
Our thoughts are with his family.
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) January 4, 2023
Meanwhile, the Gujarat Congress alleged Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, saying the government of India and the government of Gujarat are hiding the statistics of crimes against women. The figures given by the BJP government in the Lok Sabha for ‘crime against women’ and figures provided by Gujarat Government in the assembly have major differences for the same time periods.
The Congress family is deeply saddened by the untimely demise of Mr. Thirumahan Everaa, MLA of Erode East Assembly & General Secretary of @INCTamilNadu. He was a progressive leader who followed in the footsteps of his father, EVKS Elangovan & great grandfather, the great Periyar. pic.twitter.com/WGT4J4x7SV
— Congress (@INCIndia) January 4, 2023
Congress said the BJP government has said in Lok Sabha that 35 cases of gang rape have been reported in Gujarat in the last two years, while in the Gujarat Assembly, the government has said that 61 cases of gang rape have been reported in the last two years.
According to the statistics of the state government given in the Gujarat assembly, there were 3,796 incidents of rape in Gujarat in the years 2020 and 2021. While according to the statistics of the central government, there were 1,075 incidents of rape in the same two years in Gujarat, Congress spokesperson Parthiv Kathvadiya said.
