Shimla: Travelling far from the Pachmarhi stand of coalition as a transient phase, the Congress on July 9 declared its readiness for "appropriate electoral and coalition arrangements" with secular parties which should come together in the "prevailing situation" to defeat Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies in coming Lok Sabha polls.

In her closing address to the three-day Congress' brainstorming session, which adopted a 14-point Shimla pledge, Congress president Sonia Gandhi also rejected the Sangh Parivar demand for a legislation for construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, saying it should be resolved through court verdict.

"Taking into account the present political scenario, the Congress would be prepared to enter into appropriate electoral or coalition arrangements with secular parties on the basis of mutual understanding but without compromising its basic ideology," she said quoting from the political resolution adopted at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) plenary in Bangalore two years ago and made a reference to the formulation at the Pachmarhi conclave.

Recalling her recent statement in Srinagar conclave of Chief Ministers where she talked of having an "open mind" on coalitions, Gandhi said "let me now add that the prevailing situation in the country makes it incumbent on all secular forces to intensify their efforts to evolve a strategy for combating communalism and religious fundamentalism and for ensuring the defeat of its alies."

In a major move to regain Schedule Cast/Schedule Tribe (SC/ST) and Other Backward Communities (OBC) vote bank in coming elections, the party, in its "Shimla Sankalp", proposed job reservation in private sector.

PTI