E-Paper
Bureaucracy running this government: UPCC chief
The new Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Ajai Rai, considered an aggressive leader, is said to be the choice of All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary (in charge Uttar Pradesh) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and exudes confidence of taking the Congress to success in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
A five-term former MLA, Ajay Rai who challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, assumed charge as new the president of Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) on Thursday.
Rai, considered an aggressive leader, is said to be the choice of All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary (in charge Uttar Pradesh) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and exudes confidence of taking the Congress to success in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
Umesh Raghuvanshi spoke to him about his challenges and the journey ahead:
Q. Will Priyanka Gandhi continue as the AICC general secretary (in charge UP)?
A. Yes, she will continue as the in charge for UP. She is not going anywhere. I can say this with authority as the UPCC president. We will fight the 2024 Lok Sabha elections under her leadership. Why should there be a question about her being shifted out of Uttar Pradesh?
Q. Will Priyanka Gandhi contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections?
A. I will request her to contest from Varanasi. It is for her to take a call where to contest from.
Q. Will she contest from Amethi?
A. There is a demand for Rahul Gandhi to contest from Amethi. The people of Amethi have made the demand. Union minister Smriti Irani made several promises to the people of Amethi. These promises have not been fulfilled.
Q. Will you contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections?
A. The Congress high command will decide. I contested the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi on the directives of the party high command.
Q. Are you satisfied with the turnout of leaders at UPCC headquarters on Thursday?
A. Yes, workers came from across Uttar Pradesh on Thursday as I took over as the UPCC president. There was a lot of enthusiasm. We will take everybody along as we fight for the people of Uttar Pradesh.
Q. What about factionalism in Congress?
A. We will take all the party workers along with us. We will seek cooperation of all the former UPCC presidents. These include Ajay Kumar Lallu, Brijlal Khabri and all other former UPCC presidents.
Q. Is the zonal system gone?
A. Yes, the UPCC’s six zones are no longer there. We will constitute the UPCC organisation afresh soon. We will have the UPCC organisation in place by September 2023. We will constitute the district units too by September 2023.
Q. Issues for elections?
A. There is no dearth of issues. Rising inflation, unemployment and corruption are some of the issues the people are directly concerned with. The bureaucracy is running the government. Legislators are only writing letters and even the ministers or the deputy chief ministers have no powers to effectively act even in the departments under their supervision.
Q. Any specific example?
A. A woman had to deliver an immature baby on the road along the Raj Bhawan in the state capital. Deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak went to the spot. The ambulance, however, did not reach there. The deputy chief minister has not been able to take any effective action against the officers of his department for the lapses in the whole issue. He cannot act against any senior officer.
Q. What about sharing of seats with the INDIA alliance?
A. This will be decided by the party high command.
Q. You said you want Rahul Gandhi as Prime Minister after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections?
A. Yes, this is what I have said.
Q. But the INDIA alliance is yet to decide a candidate for the PM’s post?
A. I have said we want Rahul Gandhi as prime ministerial candidate, contesting all the 80 Lok Sabha seats. The Congress high command will take a call in case of sharing of seats.
Q. Will the BSP join the alliance?
A. This is an issue that the BSP leadership can answer.
Q. Your take on the law-and-order situation?
A. There is no law and order in Uttar Pradesh. We see crime rising.
Q. What about the crime against women?
A. This government does not have respect for women.
Q. How?
A. Amar Mani Tripathi, the former minister and convict (along with his wife Madhumani Tripathi) in Madhumita Shukla murder case is being released from jail. Amar Mani Tripathi was not sent to jail for fighting for the people. He was convicted in a crime against a woman. Chinmayanand was accused of rape. Sakshi Maharaj was accused of crime against women. The BJP’s Kuldeep Sengar has been convicted on charges of rape. The BJP government’s role in Hathras incident is public knowledge. They are all the BJP leaders. They don’t respect women.
