Jaipur, Nov 18: Claiming to have implemented its previous poll promises by the Gehlot government, the Pradesh Congress committee today assured that if the party returned to power it would effect better empowerment of Panchayati Raj institutions besides adopting five new areas of mines, tourism information technology, and wildlife in Rajasthan. "The Congress had got policy commitment on priority to fulfill and make the Panchayati Raj institutions more effective and stronger, which the opposition BJP at the Centre could not do," veteran congress leader Ram Niwas Mirdha told a press conference here while releasing the manifesto.

Decentralisation of power was the dream and successful attempt of late Rajiv Gandhi but the BJP created hurdles in Parliament, Mirdha, the election manifesto committee chairman, said.

"The BJP still does not want to strengthen panchayats and render them power, but the Congress would again tell voters the meaning of empowerment," Mirdha said.
Assailing the NDA government's foreign policy, Mirdha said that it is for the first time that no national consensus was achieved on foreign issues which the previous Congress governments had achieved.

The national consensus is getting fragmented as the NDA leaders and the Prime Minister have been talking differently, he added.

Bureau Report