Congress brainstorming session starts in run-up to assembly polls

Kochi, Mar 3 (UNI) With elections to the state assembly announced for next month, the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) today kickstarted a massive brainstorming session here in an effort to retain power for another term.

The five-day 'sampoorna sansthana sammelan' of the KPCC, being held after a gap of 18 years, got off to a formal launch this morning with the state party president Ramesh Chennithala hoisting the party flag at the colourfully decorated Ambedkar Stadium, named 'Indira Nagar' for the event.

Soon after the inauguration, the KPCC executive, including Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, union minister Vayalar Ravi, Mr Chennithala and party MPs and MLAs, met to discuss the main resolutions -- political, international, financial, organisational, agriculture and panchayati raj -- to be taken up at the party conclave.

The resolutions would be discussed threadbare at the party general body meeting on March six and the plenary on March seven. Among the crucial topics to be discussed as part of the political resolution will be the question of a tie-up with estranged party leader K Karunakran, who floated his own outfit, DIC(K), after parting ways with the Congress last year.

Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi will address a public rally here tomorrow evening, virtually flagging off the party election campaign for the assembly elections.

A host of other events are also being organised as part of the five-day meet. This afternoon, nearly 200 veteran Congress leaders and freedom fighters were felicitated by the party.

An exhibition of 'khadi' products will be inaugrated at the meeting venue by veteran Gandhian P Gopinath Nair tomorrow morning.

A seminar on culture is scheduled to be inaugurated by popular film actor and Congress MP Govinda on the morning of March five while union minister of state Jairam Ramesh would inaugurate a 'development seminar' in the afternoon.

The KPCC general body meeting on March six will be attended by AICC general secretaries V Narayanaswamy and Margaret Alva, AICC Kerala in-charge Veerappa Moily and union minister of state Anand Sharma among others.

Union Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee is scheduled to inaugurate the plenary session on March seven. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priya Ranjan Das Munshi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilas Rao Deshmukh also will be on the dias alongwith noted technocrat Sam Pitroda, who will be the chief guest.

While former Kerala Chief Minister A K Antony will be present for the general body meeting and plenary sessions, other state leaders, including the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues, will be present at the meeting for all five days.

Describing the conclave as a prelude to the assembly polls, Mr Chennithala said the deliberations would give a direction to the workers for the upcoming election campaigning.

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