Sirsa MP Selja urges Congress workers to strengthen the organisation at booth level and raise issues of workers, farmers, youth and common people
YAMUNANAGAR | PEN OF DEMOCRACY NEWS DESK
Sirsa MP and All India Congress Committee general secretary Kumari Selja launched a sharp attack on the BJP government over what she described as anti-people policies while addressing the Kheri Lakha Singh Block Congress Convention as the chief guest at Ratan Farm in Uncha Chandna on Radaur Road. She called upon Congress workers to strengthen the organisation up to the booth level and actively raise the concerns of people in villages and towns.
Addressing a gathering of party leaders and workers, Selja said the message from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was clear: party workers must remain connected with the people, listen to their problems and ensure that public issues are raised effectively through the organisation.
She said inflation, unemployment, problems faced by government employees and allegations of corruption had emerged as major challenges for ordinary citizens. According to Selja, rising household expenses were putting increasing pressure on families, while limited employment opportunities were adding to the concerns of young people and households struggling with economic difficulties.
The Congress leader particularly highlighted the ongoing agitation by sanitation workers in Haryana. She said employees protesting for their demands should not face suspension, dismissal or other punitive measures and that such action could not provide a lasting solution to the dispute.
The sanitation workers’ strike has continued over their various demands, including regularisation, with the government and employees remaining at odds over the issues. Selja urged the state government to stop treating the agitation only as a law-and-order or disciplinary matter and instead engage with representatives of the workers through dialogue.
“Those who work to keep our cities clean should not have their voices suppressed; their problems should be heard,” Selja said, according to the statement issued after the convention.
She demanded that punitive action against protesting employees be halted and that the government initiate talks with their representatives to find a mutually acceptable solution. She argued that negotiations and engagement would be more constructive than measures that could further deepen the confrontation between employees and the administration.
Selja also criticised the BJP government over inflation, saying rising prices of essential commodities had disrupted household budgets. She said middle-class and economically weaker families were facing difficulties in meeting everyday expenses as the cost of basic necessities continued to rise.
The Congress leader linked the issue of inflation with the wider economic concerns confronting families. She said inadequate employment opportunities and increasing financial pressures were contributing to uncertainty among young people, particularly those looking for stable jobs and a secure future.
She also questioned what she described as alleged corruption and unnecessary expenditure within the government system. Public money, she said, comes from taxpayers and should be used for public welfare and essential services rather than unnecessary expenditure.
According to Selja, greater transparency and accountability in the administrative system were essential for ensuring that government resources were used effectively. She said the government had a responsibility to make its functioning more transparent and remain accountable to citizens.
The Congress leader asked party workers to intensify their contact with the public rather than limiting organisational activity to party meetings. She urged them to visit villages and households, listen directly to residents and document their problems so that the issues could be raised more forcefully through the party organisation.
She said Congress workers should become the voice of people facing difficulties and remain connected with farmers, labourers, government employees, young people and other sections of society. Selja asserted that the Congress would continue to fight for the rights and interests of these sections.
The emphasis on booth-level organisation formed a central part of her message at the convention. She said a strong organisation at the grassroots level was essential for maintaining a sustained connection with voters and understanding local concerns.
She also urged workers to remain united and work collectively on public-interest issues. According to Selja, the strength of a political organisation depends not only on its leadership but also on the ability of its workers to remain present among people and consistently raise their concerns.
The convention brought together a large number of Congress leaders and workers, who expressed their commitment to strengthening the party organisation and continuing the struggle on issues affecting the public.
Several party leaders and functionaries attended the programme, including Chandramohan, district president Narpal Singh Gurjar, urban president Devender Singh, Kailasho Saini, Pradeep Chaudhary, Shyam Sunder Batra, Nirmal Chauhan, Sudha Bhardwaj, Suresh Dhanda, Anil Goyal, Rakesh Sharma, Mohan Jairampur, Ved Prakash, Mukesh Pal, Rai Singh Gurjar, Rajesh Sharma and Satpal Kaushik.
The gathering also provided an opportunity for party workers to discuss organisational strengthening and the importance of maintaining direct contact with the public. The participants resolved to continue raising issues concerning citizens and to work towards strengthening the Congress organisation at the grassroots level.
Selja’s address focused on a combination of organisational priorities and public concerns, particularly the situation of sanitation workers, inflation, unemployment, employee grievances, alleged corruption and government expenditure. She called upon Congress workers to ensure that such issues remained central to their engagement with the public.
The Congress leader maintained that political workers must not remain distant from the everyday difficulties faced by citizens. She said listening to people, understanding their concerns and taking those issues to the appropriate forums should remain an important responsibility of the party organisation.
Her remarks come amid continuing political debate in Haryana over employment, prices, employee demands and the functioning of the state administration. By focusing on the sanitation workers’ agitation and broader economic concerns, Selja sought to position the Congress as a platform for raising issues affecting different sections of society.
The convention concluded with Congress leaders and workers reiterating their commitment to strengthening the organisation from the booth level upwards and continuing to raise public-interest issues through sustained grassroots engagement.
POD/DESK
