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Addressing the 83rd Congress plenary, party president Sonia Gandhi said that there can be no tolerance for corruption. She hit out at the Opposition for not taking action against its leaders involved in corruption.
Crticising the Bharatiya Janata Party for not acting against Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa who is allegedly involved in the land scam, she dared the BJP to act against him. Sonia who spoke for nearly an hour without being interrupted by evevn am applause from her party workers said that her party was committed to eradicating corruption.
"The Congress is the only party which has removed chief ministers and other ministers facing allegation of corruption even when the charge has not been proved," she said. The BJP must follow the same instead of accusing the Congress of inaction, she added.
"Corruption is a disease and needs to be wiped out. The party will give precedence to wiping out corruption. Whistle blowers must be protected and encouraged since these are the people who help ending this menace. Let no one think that the Congress will shield the corrupt and the Opposition should not live under that illusion," said Sonia.
The Congress president that her party has made a statement on corruption by acting on it unlike the others who just talk about it. She, however, did not make any specific references to either the 2G or the Adarsh Society scam.
Talking about the party's defeat in the Bihar elections, Sonia said that this was a wake up call. "There is work needed to be done from the grassroot levels and there is no short cut to success. All party workers should bear this in mind," she said.
Sonia also defended Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and slammed the Opposition for attacking him. "The PM is a man of integrity and dignity. The Opposition has made unsavoury, personal attacks on him. I want to say the party is with him and completely supports him," she said.
Sonia also addressed the issue of terrorism saying that there is a need to understand the problem. "There is a need for political will to counter this problem. We need to introspect what is happening in Jammu and Kashmir and see why the youth are being misguided. There is a need to find a solution here and the government is committed to it," she said.
She also made brief references to the Varanasi blasts and the threat posed by Naxalites and said that going into the root of the problem will help sort the issue.
Thanking party workers for reposing faith in her leadership for last 12 years, Sonia called upon union ministers to stay in touch with the local leaders in the states they hail from. "I have received numerous complaints from the party workers that often their grievances are not heard by Union ministers at the Centre and the state level. I sincerely believe that this is true. Hence, I call upon the ministers particularly from the Centre to listen to the party workers and keep in touch with what is happening at the state level. After all, it is the party workers who are our ears, particularly where the Congress government is not in power," she said.
During the speech she devoted considerable time on the need to induct youth in the party. "We need young people to energise the party," she said.