Sonia Gandhi calls for Congress unity

New Delhi: Congress president and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi told the extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on Monday that the party needed to stand united and that the organisation had to be strengthened before upcoming assembly polls and general elections in 2014. She also sought to attack those making “baseless allegations” against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the UPA government.

“A lot of states have elections in the days to come. There will be general elections in 2014, we have to prepare for that also. We have to strengthen the organisation at every level, but what is of utmost importance is that we work unitedly,” Gandhi said in her address at the CWC meeting.

“In a democracy, it is the right of the opposition to oppose but it is very unfortunate that in recent times, as part of a conspiracy, some opposition parties and other... forces are making baseless allegations... against the Prime Minister, UPA government, our organisation and some of our friends,” Gandhi said. “As a party, we need to fight this.”

The government was hamstrung by the lack of cooperation by non-Congress led state governments, she said.

“It is obvious that states play a big role in implementing most of the policies. The non-Congress led states do not cooperate in a way that they are expected to in a democracy. Still, we are doing everything that we can,” she said.

Gandhi warned party members to direct their energies toward strengthening the party instead of “groupism, useless talk and useless work.”

The CWC is the highest decision-making body of the party and includes senior Congress leaders.