Delhi plenary fails to impress Congressmen

NEW DELHI - Delegates at the Congress party’s 83rd plenary here gave a big thumbs down to the arrangements by the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC), saying Delhi proved to be a poor host.

Comparing the Burari session with the previous plenary held at Hyderabad in 2006, Congress leaders - from MPs to Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) members - said the event was not organised properly.

“Had the PCC of some other state been given the responsibility for conducting the plenary session, they would have taken it as a prestigious affair and would have hosted it well,” Vijaywada MP L. Rajagopal told IANS.

Another Lok Sabha MP from Andhra Pradesh said that Delhi was known to be a poor host and cited Commonwealth Games as an example.

“From food to accommodation, everything was a failure. DPCC should learn from Andhra Pradesh how to conduct a meeting of such big stature,” he said, declining to be named.

Many workers also complained about the poor quality of food and the lack of adequate number of plates.

“With the shortage of food, many of us had fruits and coffee,” Prabhu Chawla, a member of the Uttar Pradesh unit of the party said.

“I had high hopes when I came to the national capital. I came all the way to have a glimpse of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, but I could see only the cameras. Even LCD TVs were not installed,” said Habiba Hatun, a congress member from Azamgarh.

The organisers Monday placed a new team to look after food arrangements for the journalists after they received complaints about unhygienic conditions.

The 500 tents erected at Burari to accommodate party workers too found few takers as the December chill forced delegates to opt for hotel rooms.

Less than 100 tents were occupied during the three-day meet.

The organisers, however, say they did their best.

“When thousands of people flock to a meeting, certain minor problems may occur. We cannot satisfy each and every person attending the meet,” DPCC member Rajeev Sharma said.

The Congress held its plenary in Delhi after 32 years, marking the completion of the year-long celebrations of the party’s 125th anniversary.