Congress to undertake public relations programme from Nov 19

Mumbai, Nov 1 (UNI) The Congress party will take up a big public relations campaign in Maharashtra from November 19, to reach out to most voters in the state before the coming Lok Sabha polls.

While congratulating Vilasrao Deshmukh for successfully completing four years in the office, MPCC chief Manikro Thakre told a press conference in the party office today that the party would undertake a mass contact programme to take developmental works of the Democratic Front government to the masses.

The plans for the programme, Janajagaran Vikas Yatra, have been chalked out. It would be organised in every district from November 19, which is the birth anniversary of late Indira Gandhi.

The programme would run for a month-and-a-half in which all Ministers from Chief Minister level and all-party functionaries would address 9,000 rallies all over the state. A procession in the form of 'yatra' would reach all villages and towns in the particular district, said Mr Thakre.

The MPCC chief refused to answer any questions about Congress Ministers like Narayan Rane, saying if a Congress Minister addresses a public rally it would help strengthen the party.

He pointed out that the DF Government had achieved 70 per cent of the promises given in the election manifesto and the remaining would also be completed in time.

Meanwhile, the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Ramadas Kadam criticised the Vilasrao Deshmukh-led government strongly.

In press conference held in the Shiv Sena's office Shivalaya, Mr Kadam alleged ''the Deshmukh government is sleeping on all the problems faced by the state.'' UNI XR SSS RJ AS2251