Congress today went full blast in attacking the RSS and its sister organisations, accusing them of being involved in terrorism and held that the Allahabad High Court verdict does not condone the demolition of Babri Masjid but skirted the raging issue of housing scam in Mumbai.

The day-long session of AICC, to ratify re-election of Sonia Gandhi as party president, saw over 1,000 delegates authorising her to nominate members to the Congress Working Committee, the highest policy-making body of the party.

In her inaugural speech, Gandhi said Congress and the governments led by her party will "forcefully" resist attempts by anyone to abuse religion for political gains.

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Sonia hints at axing some CWC members

Some of the members of the Congress Working Committee could face the axe in the reconstitution exercise of the powerful body, party chief Sonia Gandhi indicated today.

"Nominating CWC is a very difficult job. Somebody will complain to say I was left out, why others have been made. Somewhere someone will be left out. Now when you have put trust in me, some of you should be prepared to bear the loss," Gandhi said.

She said this at the AICC meeting which authorised her to nominate the 25-member highest policy making body of the party, making the elections to it scheduled today, redundant.

She remarked in half jest that in Congress "if you remained patient, your turn will come sometime" evoking peals of laughter among the partymen.

The AICC meeting saw several members vociferously demanding that Gandhi be authorised to nominate the entire CWC when party's Cental Election Authority chief Oscar Fernandes sought to speak about the schedule.

Earlier, AICC General Secretary Janardhan Dwivedi revealed that several PCCs have requested that Gandhi should herself nominate the CWC.

This was the first meeting of the AICC after Gandhi's re-election as party President for the fourth term.

The 1,000-odd members of the AICC constitute the electoral college for the CWC polls. Of the entire CWC, there is a provision for election of 12 and nomination of 11.

Congress president as well as the parliamentary party leader of the party are always members of the CWC with the party chief heading the key body.

Nominations rather than election is the order of the day in Congress with Gandhi re-nominating a dozen odd PCC president only last week.

There has been no contest for the CWC since Gandhi took over the reins of the organisation in April 1998.

The last two contests for the CWC were in 1997 at the Kolkata Plenary when Sitaram Kesri was the party chief and in April 1992 at the Tirupati Plenary when P V Narasimha Rao was at the helm.

Sharad Pawar and Arjun Singh were the prominent winners during these contests, as also Ahmed Patel and late Jitendra Prasada.

The talk in party circles is that Gandhi is well aware of the problems that Rao and Kesri faced after allowing contests for the CWC.

If Congress is strong, India is strong: PM

Asking Congressmen to work towards bringing the party closer to the 'aam aadmi', Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the party had always kept in mind the interest of weaker sections of the society.

Addressing a day-long session of the All India Congress Committee, he also said that India is strong when the Congress is strong.

"If Congress is strong, India is strong," Singh said in his speech.

"Our politics is about bringing the society together and not to break it," the Prime Minister said and asked partymen to work towards bringing the Congress party closer to the 'aam aadmi'.

Singh hailed the role of Sonia Gandhi as the "longest serving" party President for the last 12 years and her efforts in bringing the party to power at the Centre for a second continuous term.

He expressed confidence that under her leadership the party would continue to be in power for a long time.

The Prime Minister also hoped that Gandhi's continued guidance would be available to the party which always worked for the weaker sections.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi said that being in coalition at the Centre does not mean the party should give up efforts to strengthen itself and abdicate its political space.

"We have made alliances with different parties at the Centre and in states.We do respect our allies. But it does not mean that we stop efforts to grow our organisation or abdicate our political space," Gandhi said in her opening address at the session.

Asking partymen to unitedly prepare for the assembly elections in 10 states due next year and in 2012, she said these electoral battles are a "very big test" for the party.

"We have to prepare ourselves at the grassroot level".

The party has seen several ups and downs and "our strength has been tested several times...There is no other party in the country which has its presence in every village, block and district," Gandhi said.

Her remarks are significant in view of the fact that already a tussle is on between the party and the Trinamool Congress, led by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, over the issue of alliance for West Bengal assembly polls next year.

Party General Secretary Rahul Gandhi has given ample hints that the party would go for an "alliance with honour," a view the AICC says is applicable everywhere.

In Tamil Nadu, which also goes to the polls next year, a section of the Congress wants the party to go it alone without aligning with any of the Dravidian parties, DMK or AIADMK. At present, Congress is in alliance with the ruling DMK which has not given it a share in power despite depending upon its support in the state.

In Uttar Pradesh, which will go to polls in 2012, Congress has already announced that it would go it alone after its campaign in the Lok Sabha elections led by Rahul Gandhi yielded 22 of the 80 seats to the party, taking it to the revival path in the crucial state of the Hindi heartland.

Asking party members to work for the weaker sections who can take the country forward, Rahul Gandhi today said it was only Congress which could unite the "two Hindustans"-- one for the rich and the other for the poor.

The 40-year-old Congress general secretary, who sat in the back row on the dais at the session, rose to speak after vociferous demands from party workers.

"This (his speech) was not part of the plan.

"You cornered me at the last minute," he said as Congress members cheered and clapped in Talkatora indoor stadium.

Referring to his intensive travels across the country and interactions with a cross-section of people, he said, "I have understood two things clearly.

"First is that it is only the poor people who can take the country forward. And if we have to take the poor people forward, the Prime Minister's strategy for economic growth is a necessity.

"There are two Hindustans ? one is growing very fast and the other is for the poor (which is in crisis).... We have to connect and unite the two.

Congress, he said, was the only party which could do this as all other parties were "either regional, or based on caste or religion".

"It is only the Congress ? a national party -- which can do it as it has its presence all over the country," Rahul said, adding that the party was gaining strength every year.

He said people used to say that Congress was finished in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

"The party is not finished. The party can be easily rekindled by learning the problems of the poor and working for them," he said.

Sonia, PM silent on Adarsh, CWG scams

The uproar over CWG and Adarsh Housing Society scams notwithstanding, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today remained silent on the scandals involving party member Suresh Kalmadi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan at the AICC meet here.

Even Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who along with Defence Minister A K Antony is inquiring into Chavan's role in the Adarsh scam, remained mum on the matter while addressing the session.

Both Gandhi and Singh, who addressed the meet, talked about the Kashmir situation and inclusive growth, while branding RSS as a terror outfit.

Both Kalmadi and Chavan were present at the meet, which was held at the Talkatora Stadium.

While Kalmadi is under the scanner in the wake of allegations of corruption in Commonwealth Games, Chavan's fate is hanging in balance after three of his relatives were found to be members of the controversial housing society.

The party also accused the RSS of being involved in terror activities.

Gandhi, referring to the Ayodhya title suit judgement by the Allahabad High Court, said it did not condone the demolition of Babri masjid.

"It (demolition) was a shameful, criminal act and all those responsible must be brought to justice," she added, but did not take the names of top BJP leaders against whom cases are pending.

Mukherjee, who placed a party statement on the current political situation before the AICC, said, "The RSS organisations...are linked to terrorist activities. These revelations ought to be brought out."