Rahul Gandhi's mantra for 2019 to cadres: Put in 19 hrs a day

A day after he took over as the party president and a day ahead of the poll results in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, Congress president Rahul Gandhi wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a financial package for the fishermen hit by cyclone Ockhi in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Lakshadweep for rehabilitation, a better weather update system for advance cyclone warning, and the construct of sea-walls and groynes in the coasts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu that are vulnerable to cyclones.

"In this time of grief and pain, it is but appropriate that you will be visiting the affected regions in the coming days. .. I felt first hand the immense pain and grief that this tragedy has brought to our people," stressing the death toll has risen to 70, with hundreds missing.

As he assumed office, Gandhi met with delegates of party-members from Pradesh Congress Committees (PCCs) from various states in different groups. In a bid to mobilise the youth cadres, Gandhi met with almost all the delegates present and asked them to prepare for the 2019 elections and to dedicate 19-20 hours of their day to a Congress victory.

On Saturday, soon as the function at the Congress headquarters in Akbar Road in which he was crowned the President was over, Rahul called in delegates from various states who made their way from the lawns to the nearby 10 Janpath residence of his mother, former president Sonia Gandhi. From speaking about forest rights of adivasis in Jharkhand to asking cadres in Uttar Pradesh to tell the people about the successful schemes under the UPA regime, Rahul met with state workers for more than three hours.

A source in the know said that he made it a point to shake hands with every delegate member present. He first met with delegates from the northeastern states where the Congress has lost a lot of ground in the last few years. With four states from the region -- Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram – going to the polls in 2018, Rahul has now asked for a detailed plan from delegates in these states.

To cadres in UP, Rahul said that it is time to prepare for the 2019 elections. A party worker from the state who was present said that Rahul stressed on farmer wages and on publicising the schemes of the UPA. "Like the Food Security Bill, the MGNREGA, and Aadhaar, which faced still opposition from the BJP in the Parliament and is now a key BJP scheme. He also told us that the youthful find an eager ear in him, and that any leader with a criminal past will not be promoted," said the worker, adding that he also urged party workers to oppose the "communal and divisive" politics of the BJP.

Delegates from Bihar and Jharkhand, who met him together said that Rahul asked them to worker harder than ever before. "He spoke of a need for a lot of hard work, and said that work of over 19-20 hours a day will hold us in good stead," said a delegate from Bihar PCC.

To the delegates from Jharkhand, Rahul stressed on the need to build a roadmap for the future. "The BJP's misstep in the state has opened huge possibilities for us. He asked us to stress on issues like aadivasi forest rights, developing the agricultural industry, job generation, social harmony between tribals and non-tribals,"said a senior Congress leader from Jharkhand.

Soon after the series of meetings, Rahul left for Lucknow where Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar was to host him. But the programme was called off.