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Rahul to meet Bengal Congress leaders on July 6
Kolkata, July 2 (IANS) Congress President Rahul Gandhi will meet senior party leaders from West Bengal in Delhi on July 6, state party chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said here on Monday.
He however refused to comment on whether there would be discussions on a possible alliance with the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress in the 2019 General Elections, but said the party’s current condition in the eastern state might figure.
“The office of Rahul Gandhi has intimated the senior Congress leaders from Bengal to be present in the party headquarters in Delhi at 11 a.m. on July 6. The meeting will be conducted by Rahul Gandhi himself,” Chowdhury said.
“I am not certain about the agenda of the meeting, but we can expect that since he has only called leaders from Bengal, there would be discussions about party’s current condition in Bengal. I have suggested his office invite all the current and former Congress MLAs and MPs from the state in the meeting along with the other senior leaders of the party,” he said.
Chowdhury said he was asked by the party high command to convey the message to the senior state leaders, but requested the party President’s office to send the message themselves, as a direct message from Gandhi would carry more weight.
“There has been no suggestion from the Congress high command regarding joining hands with the Trinamool yet. But if Rahul ji suggests that, then I will brief him about the condition here and we will proceed accordingly,” he said.
Chowdhury, who has previously opposed any alliance with the state’s ruling party as it would be disastrous for Congress in Bengal, said it was more important to strengthen the party infrastructure here.
He said the party’s alliance with the Left in the last assembly polls created a lot of enthusiasm among the grassroot level activists.
“Personally I have always thought it is more important to strengthen the party infrastructure here. I have been striving hard for the consolidation of Congress in Bengal since the last two years.
“We fought the last assembly election aligning with the Left. It was approved by the AICC and there was a significant response among the grassroot level workers over the alliance. We managed to win 44 seats which means our strike rate was 47 percent,” he said.
In the past two years, the party has lost 11 of its MLAs to the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool while four more MLAs recently held talks with the ruling party last week.
Referring to Congress’ erosion over the last two years, Chowdhury accused Banerjee and her party of trying to destroy Congress in Bengal.
“The fundamental problem is Bengal’s ruling party and especially the Chief Minister is hell-bent on demolishing Congress here. So they are resorting to several means starting from intimidation to allurement targeting the state Congress leaders and activists so that they discard Congress,” he alleged.
“Some MLAs even told me they can no longer bear the pressure put by the ruling party.. So these leaders are also being allured by Trinamool and think that joining the state ruling party would provide them a greener pasture in the near future,” he added.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.