Upadhaya’s ‘Baat Cheet’ with party workers gets a good response

Ajay Ramola

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Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, October 30

The ‘Baat Cheet’ (dialogue) programme started by state Congress president Kishore Upadhaya to reach out to party workers and galvanise them for the 2017 Assembly elections is reportedly getting a good response.

The 40th ‘Baat Cheet’ programme at Barkot yesterday was attended by a large number of party workers from remote areas of Uttarkashi district. The party workers openly pointed out shortcomings in the party and asked the senior leadership to take the grass-roots level workers in confidence in selecting candidates for the Assembly elections. At Thatyud, party workers expressed similar concerns and said they would not support a candidate who is thrust upon them. The party workers at Barkot and Thatyud in the Dhanaulti Assembly segment impressed upon senior party leaders to take their views seriously.

Some party workers raised the issue of government officials at the block to state levels not listening to their grievances. They said the leaders should work unitedly if they wanted support at grass-roots level for the 2017 elections.

Upadhaya is elated at the response he is getting in various Assembly segments as party workers are expressing concerns in the interest of the party. For him, it is also an opportunity to connect with the party workers, as many political pundits think him as one of the chief ministerial candidates if the Congress comes to power on its own in 2017.

For Upadhaya, this programme has come as a blessing in disguise, as he has been able to motivate party workers and raise their morale that has ebbed following the electoral debacle in the Lok Sabha elections.

The victory in four Assembly byelections in the state has put Upadhaya on a strong footing and the only way for him in the party from here is upward. Upadhaya with renewed vigour is using every opportunity to lambast the Narendra Modi and his government at the Centre. He through the ‘Baat Cheet’ programme is quick to remind party workers that there is no support to the state government from the Union government.

Upadhaya has also succeeded in explaining to the party workers that the Union government has changed the funding pattern for the state, resulting in a considerable reduction in funds allocation for various public projects.

On the issue of the Congress still continuing with MLAs from the Progressive Democratic Front (PDF) as ministers, he said the party was treading cautiously and conveyed to party workers that more party MLAs would be adjusted next year.

The ‘Baat Cheet’ programme has also become a forum for party workers to connect with the government as Chief Minster Harish Rawat also gets an opportunity to publicise his schemes.