Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi and Vice President, Shri Rahul Gandhi were profusely thanked for appointing Shri Ajay Maken as President of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee

Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi and Vice President, Shri Rahul Gandhi were profusely thanked for appointing Shri Ajay Maken as President of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee.

The newly appointed DPCC President Shri Ajay Maken today took formal charge at the party office at Rajiv Bhawan amidst thousands of ordinary citizens, congress workers and senior leaders of the DPCC and AICC. Speaking on the occasion Shri Maken resolved to win back the confidence of the people of Delhi by playing the role of a conscious, strong and uncompromising opposition. The thousands who thronged the venue were wearing tri color caps with “Satyamev Jayate” meaning ‘truth always wins’ and ‘ sada sach bolo’ meaning always speak the truth embossed on its sides- “truth in public service”- being the new motto of the Congress party in an atmosphere where other parties had based their entire existence on false promises and fabrication.

Prominent among those present on the occasion were, AICC Treasurer and Senior leader, Shri Moti Lal Vora, Former Chief Minister Smt. Sheila Dikshit, Ex PCC Presidents, M/s Ch. Prem Singh, JP Agarwal and Subhash Chopra. Senior leaders M/s Sajjan Kumar, Jagdish Tytler, Mahabal Mishra, Ramesh Kumar, fromer Ministers, M/s Harun Yusuf, Kiran Walia, Ramakant Goswami, Mangat Ram Singhal, Yoganand Shashtri and Narendra Nath, AICC Communication Incharge Shri RS Surjewala, AICC Secretary, Shri Manish Chatrath and ex MLAs M/s Jaikishan, Mukesh Sharma, SP Singh Bittu, Kunwar Karan Singh, Anil Bharadwaj, Surendra Kumar, Prahlad Singh Sahni, Bhisham Sharma, Anjali Rai, Tarwinder Singh Marwah, Malaram Gangwal and Amrish Gautam. Leaders of opposition in the Municipal Corpoeation, M/s Mukesh Goel, Farhad Suri and Waryam Kaur and former PCC office bearers, M/s Suresh Mallik, Chhatar Singh, Mehmood Zia, OP Bidhuri, Rajendra Mallik, Naresh Kumar, Naresh Sharma Neetu, along  with all Municipal Councillors, all DCC and BCC Presidents and PYC President, Shri Amit Mallik, Mahila Congress President, Smt Onika Mehrotra, Sewa Dal President, Dineshwar Tyagi and Shri Ramesh Dutta of the Nehru Brigade.

Laying out the road map for the party and detailing upon the challenges ahead, Shri Maken said that the youth and the younger generation needed to be made aware of the difference that the Congress brought about in the city after 1998. The young people had not seen Delhi without CNG, Metro, good Power supply and Low Floor Buses that existed before 1998 and needed to know of the contrast achieved by the Congress Shri Maken exhorted Congressmen to stick to the politics of truth and people and not become another ‘Jumla Party’. He assured them of adequate representation and participation in the processes and decisions of the Party. To this effect the Party was soon going to undertake a serious Membership drive, Shri Maken informed.

Having lost three elections in last 14 months, the Party was faced with an unprecedented challenge but it could be converted into an opportunity if the Party was to play the role of a meaningful and true opposition with the interest of people solely guiding it. Shri Maken said, the BJP have been thoroughly exposed. Be it the unfulfilled promise of bringing back Rs. 15 Lakhs to every citizen’s account or auctioning the PM’s Rs 10 Lakhs suit, the BJP’s true colour was becoming evident by the day and its President Shri Amit Shah had himself categorized their poll promises as ‘Jumlas’. Shri Maken wondered if ‘Na Khaunga Na Kanedunga’ , was also a Jumla, since the non-appointment of CVC, CIC and Lokpal even after 10 months indicated nothing but encouragement to corruption.

Elaborating on the doublespeak of BJP, Shri Maken listed ‘Make in India’ Vs. Rs 6200 Cr. loan to Adanis for Coal mines in Australia, support to Baap-Beti Sarkar in J&K, support from Hafta-Wasooli Party and Naturally Corrupt Party in Maharashtra and inaction amidst repeated incursions by Pakistan and China amongst others. After first having severely restricted the media’s access to Central Government offices, Shri Modi had termed the media  Bazaaru’ , the BJP appears to have become the role model for the AAP government in Delhi. One wondered as to how a government that banned the entry of media persons in the Player’s Building, spoke of transparency and eradication of corruption, Shri Maken said. The two basic pillars that created and propelled AAP were transparency and internal democracy. Their steps with regards to banning the media and the Yogendra Yadav- Prashant Bhushan, had betrayed AAP’s core beliefs and the people at large had been left wondering. Recalling Shri Arvind Kejriwal’s statement that he would take his advice, Shri Make said that he would give advice to him- solicited as well as unsolicited.

Underlining that the Congress was committed to playing the role of an effective and meaningful opposition, Shri Maken stressed that he would keep advising and cautioning the government. The first in this series would be for the government to start working actually in the right earnest rather than finding excuses and  alibis to not working. Be it the issue of demanding statehood from a professedly opposed Central Government and Prime Minister, demand of water from an openly hostile Haryana or the unreasonable demand of appointing officers, Shri Kejriwal had only created unnecessary road blocks to performance rather than performing. Similarly, the non-assumption any portfolio by the Chief Minister indicated escaping from responsibility and the AAP Government would be well advised to start fulfilling its promises by performing on them rather than just coming out with advertisements. The government would do well to start delivering on Bijli- Paani and Wi-Fi and to begin with at least start the process of transparent governance by allowing the entry of media in the Delhi Secretariat. Speaking on the occasion the outgoing PCC President, Shri Arvinder Singh while congratulating his successor, said that the party will work together to strengthen the Congress and every Congress worker under the leadership of Shri Maken will fight against the AAP and BJP for the rights of the people of Delhi. Shri Motilal Vora, Shri Sajjan Kumar, Shri JP Agarwal, Shri Subhash Chopra and Shri Mahabal Mishra also addressed the gathering.