Congress opposed to RCEP, plans protest on slowdown

[caption id="attachment_279383" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Senior Congress leaders Anand Sharma, Mallikarjun Kharge, Mohsina Kidwai and Sushmita Singh Dev leave after a meeting at party President Sonia Gandhi’s residence, at 10 Janpath, in New Delhi on Friday.[/caption] New Delhi, Oct. 25 (IANS): After more than two hours of deliberations under the chairmanship of Congress’ Interim President Sonia Gandhi on Friday, the party decided to oppose the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which is a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between ten member states of the ASEAN and its six FTA partners, including India and China. The Congress said it is of the view that RCEP would result in glutting the Indian market with Chinese products, which would not be good for domestic farmers, small traders, dairy industry and fishermen. The party is planning protests from November 5 to 15. Senior party leader A K Antony said: “We would like to confront the government on this issue. We want speedy economic revival. The Congress is opposed to RCEP.” Former Commerce Minister Jairam Ramesh, who attended the meeting, said: “There is a text to the RCEP and there is a context. The text is bad and context is worse. With this agreement, the government cannot revive the economy. In the wake of demonetisation and faulty implementation of GST, this agreement is not going to help the country”. Jairam asserted that while the UPA government too had entered into FTA with ASEAN, it did so because the economy was booming, investments were good and exports were increasing. He said the UPA did not favour any FTA where China was a part of it. Jairam Ramesh alleged that what happened in Wuhan and Mahabalipuram -- where Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi met -- is not known to anybody. Party General Secretary K.C. Venugopal said the Congress would be organising protests from November 5 to 15. The party has planned a major rally in the national Capital. The Congress policy group sat for two hours and discussed the economic slowdown, RCEP, Citizenship Amendment Bill and the upcoming winter session of Parliament. The party said China would be the biggest beneficiary of RCEP.

Sonia ‘supreme leader’, Rahul will bounce back — Antony

Senior Congress leader A.K. Antony has said that Sonia Gandhi is the “supreme leader” and she will continue as party president till the party wishes. Antony stated this while addressing a press conference in the capital on the policy group meet under the chairmanship of Sonia Gandhi. When asked about Rahul Gandhi the senior leader said that “Rahul Gandhi will bounce back with more strength”. The question of Sonia Gandhi arose as she was not able to campaign in the recently Assembly elections. The lone rally planned for her in Mahendragarh was cancelled due to her health and Rahul Gandhi had to pitch in at the last moment. Senior leader Digvijaya Singh tweeted: “Everyone was predicting a landslide victory for BJP in Haryana and Maharashtra but the sheer courage of Congress workers proved the pollsters wrong. We have done unexpectedly well even in by-elections. Well done!! Congress Party Zindabad Sonia Gandhi Zindabad.” The Congress has termed the results of two state Assembly elections as encouraging as it increased it’s tally from previous results. But the party is wary of the leadership issue. The younger lot is asserting for more while the older ones do not want to be replaced. The party leader said that since Rahul Gandhi has stepped away, the younger leaders are facing threat to be dumped. After the fate of Ashok Tanwar the younger lot is more demanding with Sachin Pilot opening a front against Ashok Gehlot. General Secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia is also asking for a PCC post. He has met party incharge Deepak Babaria on Thursday. Scindia also did not compaign in the Jhabua bypolls. The party has to face two more Assembly elections in next three months. Elections in Jharkhand and Delhi are due. The party faces a tough task to fight the BJP and contain the rift within, said a leader.