Don't take tickets for granted, Rahul Gandhi tells Congressmen

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi Wednesday told legislators and party leaders in Haryana that winning candidates in elections should not take their nomination for granted in the next election.

"We will take feedback. We will give party tickets based on the performance of a winning candidate," Rahul Gandhi, who was here to address the party's grassroots leaders, said.

"MLAs (members of legislative assemblies) should go among people and work," he said.

He also asked Congress leaders to give up the VIP culture.

He was here to meet party leaders, elected representatives, members of various panchayati raj groups and youth leaders at the Indradhanush Auditorium here, 15 km from Chandigarh.

He said the UPA government was trying to empower panchayati raj institutions at the grassroots level. "We need to do more in this direction," he said.

He held eight meetings, from which the media was kept away.

Rahul Gandhi said the Haryana government, led by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, was doing a good job.

Participants in various meeting raised issues concerning Haryana, sources said.