The Congress, in the presence of several of its senior leaders, today launched an 11-point agenda billed as the "Jabalpur ghoshna patra" (Jabalpur declaration) to highlight the party's stand on various contentious issues in the state.
Among those who arrived here to be part of a party programme titled 'Protecting Democracy and Constitution' were Digvijay Singh, Kapil Sibal, P Chidambaram, Kamal Nath, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Salman Khurshid and Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
The party's Jabalpur declaration stated that it would continue in its struggle to bring those involved in the Vyapam scam to justice.
It pledged to work towards curbing rising crimes against women and children and also to ensure that no farmer committed suicide in distress if the Congress came to power, after a gap of 15 years, in Madhya Pradesh.
The state is slated for Assembly polls later this year.
Referring to the Vyapam scam, the declaration stated," "We are surprised with the way the CBI had conducted investigations in the matter. It has betrayed the trust that Supreme Court had reposed in it while handing over the probe to it on July 9, 2015."
The declaration further alleged that no serious investigation was done in the scam.
Expressing concern over security of lawyers and mediapersons, the declaration said that the party would bring an Advocate Protection Act and a Journalist Protection Act if it came to power.
Attacking the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, Jyotiraditya Scindia, the Congress chief whip in the Lok Sabha, criticised a Union minister, hailing from Karnataka, for stating that the time had come to change the Constitution.
Scindia said, "Our Constitution is not just a piece of paper, but the nation's soul. It is a symbol of the country's unity. An effort is being made to vitiate the atmosphere in the country and attempts are being made to curb the freedom of individuals."
Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister, Digvijay Singh, lauded the role played by advocates in protecting the country's Constitution.
Expressing concern over escalating litigation expenses, Singh suggested to the party's legal cell to establish a mechanism so that it could fight the cases of victims from the lower courts to the Supreme Court.
Former Union Minster Kamal Nath criticised Madhya Pradesh chief minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, for claiming to be a "farmer's son and mama (uncle)" at a time when the " largest number of farm workers in the world" were committing suicide in the state.
Praising Dr B R Ambedkar, Nath said it was a matter of pride that the Indian Constitution drew praise from other countries as well.
Addressing the programme, former Union Minister Salman Khurshid said, "We don't want a change of power, but a change in system."
Favouring a continuation of the reservation policy, he said people should not have any problem in extending its (reservation) benefits to those who have been deprived for years.
Senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram said that Ambedkar had been given the responsibility of framing the Constitution so that the deprived classes could be uplifted as he too had suffered atrocities being from a weaker section of society.
He also alleged that the Centre was not doing anything to fill vacancies in the Supreme Court and high courts.
Criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Union Minister Kapil Sibal alleged that institutions like the CBI, Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax were being misused.
He claimed that the truth about the Vyapam scam would come out in the "next few weeks".
The programme was organised by Vivek Krishna Tankha, chairman of the Legal Cell of the All India Congress Committee (AICC).
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