4:20 pm: Rahul Gandhi goes after the opposition, says only workers with Congress ideology in their blood will go ahead
Rahul Gandhi's on a roll and takes on the opposition by saying that the Congress unlike others they did not promise simple non-solutions (read AAP) and did not block Parliament year after year, day after day (read BJP).
"We do not respond that democratic structures be handed into the hands of one man," Rahul said.
He said that the response of the opposition was always to go in the opposite direction to what the Congress did.
The Congress leader said that many parties have spoken about the Lokpal but hadn't delivered.
"Who gave the country the Lokpal? Who gave it? Who?" he thundered. We imagine a few MPs cringed thinking they were going to be pulled up.
But the Congress leader quickly corrected that it was the Congress party and it was their achievement.
"We have given you the Lokpal and we want to give you something else. There are other bills in Parliament and we want to give the country these bills. These bills will transform the fight against corruption," Gandhi said.
He then switched to Hindi for his pyaare bhai and behen and said that in future only those with Congress in their blood who would be picked in the future.
"The party worker will be heard by the government," Rahul said, promising that it was the beginning of making the Congress a more democratic institution.
4:10 pm: MPs, MLAs should make laws not people in the street, says Rahul
"Today the MP and MLAs voice is not in lawmaking. Laws are being made by media, by judges and by people in the streets. Not the people elected to make laws. We have to bring you back into lawmaking," Gandhi thundered.
It is you who truly represent the people, he said, and questioned what power they have and said they needed to bring the voice of local self governments into lawmaking.
"Democracy is not implemented through one MP...We sit in Parliament and talk about the fact that MPs do not truly make laws. We need to being the voice of the MLA back into the legislature," he said.
The voice of the Congress party worker is the voice that elected representatives should listen to, he said.
Gandhi said that people should be able to walk into the political system but it wasn't happening presently.
"This is a turning point in our nation. No one is less to expect less than their complete right. No one wants to compromise...Frankly they deserve it," Rahul said.
4:00 pm: Biggest achievement is RTI, says Rahul Gandhi
Rahul Gandhi said that the biggest achievement of the government was the Right to Information Act.
"Nobody asked us to do this, we decided to do it," Gandhi said.
He also pointed out that the Aadhaar was a revolutionary concept which would allow the government to put money in a bank account of a person.
Strangely enough he singled out Mani Shankar Aiyar who he said had been fighting for the rights of panchayati raj. Evidently he missed Aiyar's barb on Modi, or he's chosen to ignore it in the larger scheme of things.
"No one can stop a common man from asking the government what he needs," Gandhi said. He's a lot more forceful in this meeting and he's got the audience in the palm of his hand.
"Tell me one step that the Congress government has taken that is not to give power to the people of this country," he thundered, adding that it was 'unmatched' in its endeavour.
4:00 pm: Rahul Gandhi starts speaking, thanks Manmohan Singh for his governance
If Rahul Gandhi felt like a rockstar before he definitely would feel better after today's speech. He just walked to the lectern and had to wait while cheering Congress men calmed down.
"Thank you, thank you," he said and paused for some time before giving up and just going on with his speech.
"It is an honour for me to speak to you. It is always an honour to speak to the soldiers of this party," he said. Much cheering again.
"For the last 10 years we have had the privilege of Manmohan Singh's leadership," he said, thanking the Prime Minister for his administration. When the applause seemed a little spartan, he urged the activists to clap harder.
"It is clear to me that Congress has made this democratic upsurge possible," he said.
3:00 pm: Rahul Gandhi to speak shortly
He's promised the assembled leaders that he will address all their queries in his speech and is set to do shortly.
Rahul Gandhi has got a strong endorsement from most of those present at the AICC meet and he's going to speak about why he wasn't made the party's prime ministerial candidate. We're expecting some dramatic statements and mention of Congress tradition but what remains to be seen is how the Congress campaign chief is going to address the issue that perhaps worries the party most: how will it counter the Modi campaign?
2:00 pm: PM says victory in elections will be Rahul Gandhi's victory, admits mistakes were made
PTI
Speaking at the AICC meet, Singh said, "There is no doubt about the fact that if we prepare properly for the 2014 polls and get the message about out achievements to the people we will win and it will be a victory for Rahulji."
The Prime Minister justified the Congress returning to power and said it was the only progressive party for the country.
"Our history is a proud one. Our philosophy is secular. We have always concentrated on uplifting the poor," Singh said.
Singh hit out at opposition parties that threatened the Congress's campaign and said that if their claims were analysed the truth of it being hollow would be revealed.
"We will have to also get the message to the people to analyse the record of the opposition parties when they have been in power. If compared it will become clear exactly how well they have performed as compared to us," he said.
The Prime Minister highlighted the schemes of the UPA and said that over the last 9 years average economic growth had been around 7 percent which was higher than any nine-year period in the past.
"We accept that growth has been hit by decisions not being taken on infrastructure projects. Decisions are also not being taken on account of the fact that they fear being accused of corruption," Singh said.
The Prime Minister highlighted the various legislation that had been created for the poor and other socially disadvantaged groups which he said had brought down poverty in the nation.
"The rate at which poverty has reduced has also increased," the Prime Minister said.
"I know there are different views on the poverty line among economists. But no matter how you analyse it, poverty has reduced in the country," Singh said.
He highlighted the benefit of various schemes for people living in rural areas and said that many states that were considered backward at a time were progressing quickly now. He highlighted the government's achicevements in education including the mid-day meal scheme and also spoke of institutions of higher learning that had also been set up during the UPA tenure.
Singh brushed aside criticism of rising prices that the government has been facing and said there had been there had been residual benefits.
"There has been a price rise because of rise in food prices but it has also meant that the wages of those involved in producing it has risen," Singh said.
The Prime Minister thanked Congress President Sonia Gandhi for her support during the UPA tenure.
"The commitment shown by Sonia Gandhi has benefited the government tremendously," he said.
Singh said he believed that the government hadn't got the credit for its achievements because of rising aspirations among the youth who now want more responsive and growing economic systems.
"It is no surprise that there is pressure on the government to deliver services quickly and efficiently to the people," he said.
Singh highlighted the various measures undertaken by the party to combat corruption including the Right to Information Act and the Lokpal.
"I would also like to say here that we have made mistakes but we have always tried to correct them and rectify them," the Prime Minister said.
"Our economy is facing difficulties. just slogans won't solve it...The nation needs a stable political climate," he said. "I have no doubt at all that under Rahul Gandhi's guidance we will achieve complete success," he said.
1:00 pm: Sonia Gandhi asserts that Rahul Gandhi won't be PM candidate
When it came to the crunch, Congress president Sonia Gandhi delivered, making a powerful pitch at the AICC session in Delhi's Talkatora stadium on Friday morning.
Victory and defeat are inevitable in politics, but every major change in the country has been at the behest of the Congress party, she told her forces, "do not forget that for even a moment".
Just when it was appearing that the Congress was preparing the ground for a better-timed launch for Rahul in 2016 or 2019 -- perhaps if the AAP denies the NDA an outright win as it did the BJP in the Delhi Assembly election, and a Third Front of some manner is cobbled together -- the Congress president's speech suggested that the party has not given up just yet.
The focus on the Congress's secular credentials was telling -- with the AAP government in Delhi looking to be in agonising chaos, that anybody-but-Modi vote may be worth a fighting chance.
"What is the way adopted by our chief political rival?" Sonia asked, having switched to Hindi midway through her speech. "Their way is to divide communities, to spread disharmony. There is a hidden face behind that mask of empathy."
No electoral exigencies, she continued, would hamper the Congress party's commitment to secularism. She also addressed the fact that morale of party men is perhaps at one of its lowest ebbs.
"The Congress has faced tougher times than today, we have never lost heart, we have remained resilient. We have stayed committed to our vision, our values, our beliefs."
On the clamour to end corruption, she had this to say: "The Congress is the party that enacted the Right to Information law, the "single most important reason for citizens to feel empowered to fight corruption".
The Congress president didn't attempt to deny the wave of discontent with the UPA.
"A hopeful new generation wants to be heard... be humble with those seeking change," she said. "But do not forget for a second that all major changes in the country have come through the Congress party."
She seemed to candidly tackle the prospect of another defeat too, possibly the most demoralising for Congress workers.
"Whether we win or lose, our party is the only one present in every village, every street. We have seen ups and downs, victory and defeat -- these are inevitable in politics. But I hope that in coming days our resolve to meet these challenges grows. We will win this struggle," she said.
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