New Delhi, Aug 26 (IANS) Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh elections in the state next year, the Congress has identified issues related to the common people which include inflation, farmers' issues, debt of sugarcane growers and Covid mismanagement.
In line with this strategy Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday attacked the state government on the farmers' issue and said that 'the electricity rates for the farmers have increased many times, diesel rates have hiked over 100 times but there has been no increase in the rates of sugarcane'.
Priyanka has sought to corner the state government over the sugarcane debt and rates. She said, "The UP BJP government came to power on the promise of raising the sugarcane prices, but in the last three years it has not raised a penny and if someone raises voice farmers are intimidated with threats."
Congress MLC Deepak Singh said, "The government in the state has done nothing in the last four years and the Congress is fighting for people's cause in the state and will raise the issues concerning people."
While the party is focussing on the grassroots level, the Congress has launched a 100-day campaign to train its office bearers under the 'Prashikshan Se Parakram' programme from Tuesday.
The party will organise 700 training camps in which about two lakh office bearers from the grassroots level will be given training.
The organisation building programme of the party is in its final stages. Block committees of the party have been constituted at all 823 blocks in the state and also 8,134 Nyay Panchayats. The process of selecting the gram sabha heads in on.
The 'Prashikshan Se Parakram' programme will ensure the participation of district and city committee members and various frontal organizations, said party leaders. "After the district training camps, the programme will be held in every Assembly segment and only authorised persons will attend the camps," said a party functionary.
Calling the reports of alleged snooping on prominent citizens using Israeli Pegasus spyware as "baseless", the ruling BJP on Monday said there is not a single shred of evidence so far that links either the central government or the party to this controversy.
Congress MPs from both Houses had met on Sunday afternoon at Rajya Sabha member Pratap Singh Bajwa's residence to discuss the issues related to Punjab and sought an appointment with Gandhi.
Apart from reviewing the security arrangements in the national capital, the Delhi Police have also strengthened the security in and around the Red Fort ahead of the Independence Day.
Police said acting on a specific information, Budgam Police along with the Army's 53 RR and 43 BN of the CRPF arrested one local terrorist linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT and recovered incriminating materials, arms and ammunition including one Chinese pistol, one magazine, eight live pistol rounds from his possession.
As the Pegasus spyware scandal unravelled within and outside Parliament, he termed it a "shocking assault" on India's democratic polity by the Union government, which had compromised the national security with "this blatantly disgraceful act".
The shocking incident happened on Sunday when the lawyer, Satyadev Joshi and his associate Ankit Tandon had gone to survey a land for a client in Dahisar suburb.
