Caravan News
NEW DELHI — As the next general elections in the country is approaching, political parties, ruling lot and Opposition, are girding up their loins to face the electorates.
As part of party’s outreach to various sections of the society ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha election, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday met Muslim intellectuals to get to know their feedback on various issues.
Those who met Gandhi included M.S Farooqui, Amir Mohammad, Irfan Habib, Syeda Hameed, Ilyas Malik, Rakhshanda Jalil, Junaid Rehman, Farah Naqvi and others and discussed “public policy”, according to reports.
Congress Minority Department Chairman Nadeem Javed was also present at the meeting.
Senior pary leader Salman Khurshid while interactnig with media people said: “A number of lawyers, historians and university intellectuals met Rahul Gandhi and discussed public policy with him.”
“They gave their feedback to the leader on different areas they are involved in. Hope more such interactions will take place in future,” he added.
On the question of the Congress president’s meeting with ‘selective’ intellectuals, Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi said:
“Our doors are open for everybody. The intellectuals who would want to wish to meet him, he (Gandhi) would be happy to meet them, he meets ambassadors of all the countries, diplomats from across the world”.
“He meets corporate friends from across the country, he meets women, people from MSMEs, fishermen, farmers of this country. His meetings are for everyone. His meetings are regular. He also meets ‘Anganwadi’ workers. I think there is no one, he does not meet,” she added.
She said: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is selective when he chooses to meet his corporate friends but refuses to meet the farmers who protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.”
“This is a wrong comparison but I would only want to say that the Congress believes in development for all, inclusion of all, and equality for all.
BJP’s senior leaders including its national president Amit Shah have also launched a derive to meet ‘influential’ people to win over their support before the forthcoming national elections to be held next year.
The ruling BJP government, who came to power in 2014 elections with tall claims of development and ‘sab ka saath sab ka vikas’ slogan has miserably failed to deliver, is not in a convenient position to face the electorates in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
