Bangalore: The Congress maintained on Saturday that vice president Rahul Gandhi’s interaction with youngsters drawn from across the country was “continuation of what the government is doing.”
Speaking to media persons here, information and broadcasting minister Manish Tewari said the interaction was part of an ongoing process to elicit views of people ahead of shaping the manifesto.
When asked whether the party realized the importance of such an interaction after it failed to deliver the goods over the last ten years, Tewari clarified: “This is not the first time that the party has shown its commitment to youth.
It was Congress Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi who brought down the age for voting from 21 to 18. Similarly, the RTI Act, RTE, and Food Security Act are contributions of UPA-I and UPA-II.
To pursue our commitment, we want to get the opinion of a cross-section of the society. This has not come late nor did the party initiate such action to make up its drawbacks.”
He said people should wait for the announcement of Congress’ Prime Ministerial candidate as the strategic decisions were taken by Congress President in consultation with senior party leaders.
However, he said young Congress leaders and a large number of apolitical people expressed their desire to fight next elections under Rahul Gandhi's leadership.
