Thursday, November 22, 2012

Congress 'home run' continues, thousands throng form centres


Gujarat EDN

IE 27AUG2012

Express news service : Vadodara, Mon Aug 27 2012, 04:27 hrs

Another mad rush of women to collect 'Ghar nu Ghar' forms being distributed by the Congress was witnessed here on Sunday. The party claimed to have given away two lakh forms within hours.
Just like last week, thousands of women queued up at 35 centres set up by the party well before the distribution started at 9.30 am. Within an hour, one lakh forms were distributed, city Congress president Narendra Ravat said.
By 12.30 pm, 20 centres had to be closed as the party ran out of forms even as women continued to crowed them. “A little past noon, all the two lakh forms had been distributed. We convinced women that there will be another round of distribution,” he added.
A few women were seen running from one centre to another in an attempt not to miss it this time while others took their positions in queues well in advance.
“I could not get the form on last Sunday. I even tried to get it from a Congress leader's home but that did not help. Today, I came two hours early and finally managed to get it. I just hope, all this toil does not come to nought,” said Padma Rana, who runs a beauty parlour.
Unlike last Monday when a few women had reportedly sustains fractures when crowd turned unruly at a few centres, no untoward incident was reported today.
Congress workers in large numbers were found managing queues and distribution. “Learning from the previous experience, we had increased the number of distribution centres from 25 to 35. Around 100 workers managed disciplined at each centre. At few centres, we had erected barricades as well,” Ravat said.
The party had distributed 1.25 lakh forms on August 20 and Ravat said they would request the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee to provide more forms. “We know a few women have still not got the forms. We shall request GPCC president Arjun Modhwadia to give more forms to us,” he said.
The Congress has announced Ghar nu Ghar (own one's own house) scheme for the poorer sections of society. If voted to power in the Assembly elections due later this year, the party has promised to provided one room-kitchen houses at down payment of Rs 70,000, one bedroom-hall-kitchen unit at Rs 1 lakh and two-bedroom-hall-kitchen houses at Rs 1.8 lakh. The remaining amount will have to be paid in monthly installments over the next 15 years.
The party had started distribution of form across the state on Raksha Bandhan on August 2. On August 20, it claimed to have distributed 28 lakh forms in seven municipal corporations and various municipalities in the state.