Lucknow: Congress will announce candidates in Uttar Pradesh for 2014 Lok Sabha polls a year in advance, AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh said on Wednesday, blaming delay in distribution of tickets for the party's defeat in assembly polls. "Had we started preparation for state assembly polls timely and declared candidates earlier, the performance of party would have been better."
"It was Congress, which made the atmosphere against Bahujan Samajwadi Party government but we could not assure people that we can give them a government," Singh said while addressing party workers at a convention here. For Lok Sabha polls, he said, party candidates "will be declared a year in advance".
The process of selecting candidates is on and reports of observers in all eight zones will be available by February after which candidates will be finalised, he said. Claiming that party's vote percentage has increased in all polls after 2004, Singh said addition of 10-12 per cent more vote would pave the way for party's success.
Asking partymen to reach out to the people to counter "opposition's propaganda" against Congress, Singh accepted that limiting subsidy to only six LPG cylinders was wrong. "I think number of subsidised cylinders should be nine...," he said, adding that Congress governments in states was bearing subsidy of three additional cylinders.
When a party worker shouted that there should be no cap on number of subsidised cylinder, Singh said that he also wanted the same but Centre has its own constraints due to rising price of petroleum products. About charges of corruption, Singh said that these cases came to the fore due to RTI, which was brought by the United Progressive Alliance government.
Questioning CAG report on 2G spectrum allocation, coal blocks allocation and others, Singh said that CAG was not an investigating agency. "We respect all constitutional bodies including CAG. But if someone leaks the report, it generates suspicion", Singh said.
On quota in promotions, Singh said that it was not a new law but due to "wrong interpretation" by state governments its amendment was needed. "Those who belong to non-SC/ST category need not worry as their seniority and efficiency will not be affected", he claimed.
Singh said that at national level, the fight of Congress was with BJP and ideology of RSS. On Narendra Modi's victory in Gujarat, Singh said that he would be glad if BJP changed its attitude towards Muslims.
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