NEW DELHI, May 27: It was Sonia Gandhi's day on Thursday as the Congress leader got an unwieldy ragtag coalition to fall in line even as she retrieved lost prestige in the key state of Karnataka where she installed an administration of her party despite its recent defeat.
Ms Gandhi told a meet of her United Progressive Alliance (UPA) partners where they launched a common programme, that the secular government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would keep to the mandate of addressing poverty.
The Common Minimum Programme (CMP) would also follow an "independent" foreign policy, opposing what it called all attempts at unilateralism, while seeking to promote multi-polarity in world relations.
The UPA said dialogue with Pakistan on all issues would be "pursued systematically and on a sustained basis". The new government has pledged to "seriously" pursue talks on the border issue with China while expanding trade and investment with it.
It pledged to give the "highest priority" to building closer political, economic and other ties with its neighbours in South Asia and to strengthening Saarc. Particular attention would be paid to regional projects in the area of water resources, power and ecological conservation, it said.
The 24-page document said the UPA would support peace talks in Sri Lanka that fulfil the legitimate aspirations of Tamils and religious minorities within the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka.
It said outstanding issues with Bangladesh would be resolved and intensive dialogue initiated with Nepal for developing water resources to mutual advantage.
In a move that would please everyone who did not agree with the ousted Bharatiya Janata Party, the new government would repeal the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act.
It would prevent privatization of profit-making public sector units, go for 33 per cent reservation of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies and initiate a national dialogue on job reservation for Dalits and tribes-people in the private sector.
While promising to implement the Places of Worship Act, 1992, the document said the government would await the court verdict on the Ram temple issue but also encourage negotiations between the parties to the dispute.
"The negotiations between the parties to the dispute for an amicable settlement must, in turn, receive legal sanction," Prime Minister Singh said. There would be no compromise in the fight against terrorism, the document said, but added, "given the abuse of POTA that has taken place, the UPA government will repeal it, while existing laws are enforced strictly."
The document said the government was committed to a strong and effective public sector whose social objectives were met by its commercial functioning Efforts will be made to be selective in this area and profit-making PSUs "will not be normally privatized," Dr Singh said.
In her opening remarks at the press conference as the chairperson of UPA coordination committee, Ms Gandhi said that a coordination committee would meet once a month to review the progress of the implementation of the programme. The alliance pledged to respect Article 370 of the Constitution, which provides a special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
