Rahul to tour Maha, seeks youth support

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MPCC president Manikrao Thakre (from left), Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and Congress general secretary Rahul

Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Friday assured the party workers that he will visit Maharashtra and take interest in strengthening the party organisation. Speaking to representatives of the NSUI and the Youth Congress, he said that Mumbai is country’s engine and there is a need to create more such cities for which he will need support of the youth.
Mr Gandhi attended three meetings with partymen throughout the day. However, in every meeting, workers complained to him against state leaders and ministers.
His Mumbai visit started with two separate meetings with the NSUI and Youth Congress representatives at Bhaidas Hall, Vile Parle. According to sources, some NSUI representatives told him in presence of chief minister Prithviraj Chavan that Ajit Pawar would become Maharashtra’s CM with the help of Shiv Sena after the 2014 election.
Though Mr Gandhi did not comment on the alliance with the NCP, he assured the party workers that he would tour the state more often to boost the grassroot cadre and assist party preparations for the 2014 assembly elections.
Mr Gandhi told the partymen that Maharashtra is an important state and the Congress could not afford to have a weak organisation in the state.
“Rahulji said that Mumbai is the engine of the country and there is a need to create more such cities. He appealed the party workers to support him for that. He also said that the youth need to take interest in the politics,” a NSUI representative said.
To a question posed to him on whether Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would join him in the campaign since people in Maharashtra view her as so similar to their grandmother Indira Gandhi, Mr Gandhi responded saying his sister had campaigned with him in Uttar Pradesh and would join him in Maharashtra as well.
During his meetings, Mr Gandhi also spoke on the need to eradicate corruption from the society.
Mr Gandhi told the party workers to show zero-tolerance towards corruption. “We have always opposed corruption. We enacted the Right to Information Act, which has now become a major tool in the fight against corruption,” he reportedly told the party workers.