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Listen to the ordinary Congressman, says Sonia

When Congress President Sonia Gandhi asked her ministers and people in authority in the 125-year-old Congress Party to take ordinary workers seriously, she immediately struck an chord with thousands of grassroots workers who have come from across the country to attend the 83rd plenary session of the party.

While everybody expected the Congress president to attack the Bharatiya Janata Party on the issue of corruption, internal security, blocking of the normal functioning of Parliament and her attack on "all colours of terrorism", what surprised ordinary workers was her open attack on her own ministers at a public meeting.

The Congress president was actually refocusing on what Mahatma Gandhi had asked Congress workers on the eve of the country's independence.Her message to those in power was simple: Please take ordinary Congress workers, who work at the grassroots and understand the difficulties and issues of the people, seriously.

"Take our ordinary workers seriously," she said. "Lay focus on the grassroots. They know the ground realities," she said once again emerging as the messiah of the ordinary Congress worker.

"You will pay the price if you don't respect the ordinary workers'

Gandhi said that she has come across many complaints that Union ministers don't listen to ordinary Congress workers. The statement met with a huge applause from ordinary Congres workers, who predictably were seated in the back row.

"These people (minsiters) only succeed in harming the will power and morale of the ordinary worker," she said attacking those who mistreated the grassroots worker.

Mohammed Arif from Uttar Pradesh's Jaunpur district couldn't agree more with his party president.

"Today young voters below 30, have not seen Congress rule in UP. The reason why we don't win in the state is the lack of grassroots workers," he pointed out.

"When we ruled the state the ministers didn't listen to ordinary Congress worker. As a result we find it difficult to find people who would become a Congress Karyakarta (worker). People need respect to take your agenda and policies to the masses. If you don't treat your own workers with respect you will pay the price for it," said Arif.

Khurshid Anwar, who lost the last assembly election in UP from Amroha is more forthcoming, even as echoes Arif's and Sonia Gandhi's views.

"Union textiles Minister Panabaka Laxmi didn't even talk to us when she visited our constituency. She stood only for agents and power brokers," Khurshid said.

Interestingly, UP sends the maximum number of members of Parliament and has been the most worrisome state for the Congress in its efforts to form its own government at the centre.

It's impossible for ministers to meet everyone'

Congress MP from Mumbai North, Sanjay Nirupam too agrees with what the Congress president said. He, however, said that he has been in regular touch with the grassroots party worker from his constituency through various programmes that encourages people to come forth with their issues.

"However, the Congress president is right when she says that ordinary Congress workers should be taken seriously," Nirupam said.

Sounding a bit apologetic he said that "it becomes impossible for ministers and leaders to meet hundreds and thousands of people who come to meet us."

Given the current mood of the Congress president regarding the issues faced by the grassroots worker it's about time for Congress ministers -- at the state level and in the Union ministry -- to sit up and take notice.