Miles to go... Sonia tells Congressmen

NEW DELHI: Signalling that Congress would like to be free from compulsions of coalition politics, party president Sonia Gandhi called upon the senior leadership to restore Congress��� ���historical��� role as the ���natural party of governance��� in the country.

Even as Ms Gandhi took a moment to appreciate the confidence that the people had reposed in her party and its allies, the Congress president reminded the Congress Working Committee that ���this was not a moment merely for jubilation���. She reminded the party���s top leadership that they were meeting ���at a moment of great significance and a time of great responsibility and of course, great satisfaction.���

Ms Gandhi said: ���The election is now behind us and hard work must begin. We can now start to restore Congress to its former historical role as the natural party of governance in India.���

Charting the future course of action for the party, Ms Gandhi told CWC members that this was a moment for ���sober introspection.��� Clearly indicating that the verdict was for Congress, and its stewardship of the nation, Ms Gandhi said, ���We have been appointed the guardians of the hopes and aspirations of our people, most of all the poor and disadvantaged. It is our sacred task to take up this responsibility with sincerity, honesty and diligence.���

The party went to the hustings with its achievements of ���economic growth and inclusive development���, such as the NREGA, and farm loan waiver. Ms Gandhi reiterated that these achievements under the aegis of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh formed the basis of the party���s success.

She said: ���We were able to put in place many measures to improve their (poor people���s) lives to bring about greater accountability in governance, to strengthen our economy and our security.���

In a resolution, the CWC stressed that the mandate given to Congress and its allies, is a ���mandate for strengthening the foundations of secularism and forging ahead on the path of faster and more inclusive growth���.

Echoing Ms Gandhi���s call for restoring the Congress as the ���natural party of governance��� the resolution described the verdict of the people as that for ���a national party with a national outlook to tackle challenges at the national level while at the same time being sensitive to regional and local aspirations.���