India is a union of states and each state has its distinct history and tradition.

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi reminded this while virtually addressing a select group of Congress leaders of Jharkhand who attended a three-day chintan shivir that concluded at Madhuban (Parasnath Hills) in Giridih district on Tuesday.

“It’s like a bouquet of flowers where each flower is important and we have no choice to like or dislike any particular flower but to like the bouquet as a whole,” he told the gathering of ministers, public representatives and office bearers of various units of the Congress.

It is a negotiated settlement and is also mentioned in the Constitution of the country, Rahul further said, adding the institutions keep the country alive.

While the Congress always respected and upheld the institutions, the BJP attacked those, he alleged. “Whenever there is an attack on the Adivasi, the Muslims or the poor by depriving their right of work under the MGREGA, it’s an attack on one institution or the other,” he further said.

Rahul also reminded the Congress ministers and party functionaries in Jharkhand that it was their responsibility to work for strengthening such institutions functioning within the state.

They should also imbibe in new members the spirit of the party’s ideology and make them feel that the Congress is a partner of the government that works for the poor, the weaker sections of the society and the tribals.

“It may look like a difficult job at the beginning but can be done if the organisation is strong,” Rahul opined, asking the functionaries to work for strengthening the party in the state, adding all have to be taken along to make them feel that “the country is for all and not for a few chosen industrialists”.

“A roadmap be made keeping in view of the 2024 elections,” said Rajya Sabha MP K.C. Venugopal who also addressed the delegates virtually, adding the decisions taken during the shivir must be followed up and pursued by the ministers and the MLAs who should tour the countryside at least once a month.

Besides discussing topics such as the language issue and a draft of a common minimum programme for working in tandem with the state government as a partner, the delegates of the shivir also heard two invited speakers.

While former Ignou vice-chancellor Ravindra Kumar spoke on the Gandhian ideology, former vice-chancellor of Vinoba Bhave University, Hazaribagh and economist Ramesh Sharan spoke on land acquisition, displacement, rehabilitation and sustainable development in respect of Jharkhand.

“There was no development in Jharkhand worth its name, barring a few urban areas that saw it due to industrialisation,” Sharan said, adding no development plan should be brought up at the cost of environment as it would never be sustainable.

The government acquires land for setting up industrial units but never cares for social and economic impact analysis of such an action, he further said, adding use of alternative energy should also be encouraged as conventional energy sources like coal would exhaust one day.

“The shivir set direction for the organisation and elected representatives to fulfil our commitment to the people of Jharkhand and inspired us to work in a coordinated way for the betterment of the state and its people,” Mahagama MLA Deepika Pandey Singh said when asked if it was helpful.