Picture : Twitter / ANI
Facing the daunting task of revamping the party after a series of poll reverses, over 400 Congress leaders will go into a huddle at its ‘two- day Chintan Shivir’ on May 13- 14 focusing on time-bound party restructuring, finding ways to combat politics of polarisation and getting battle-ready for upcoming electoral challenges, assembly polls in Gujrat and Himachal Pradesh later this t.
Congress’ chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the ‘Nav Sankalp Chintan Shivir’ is also aimed at deliberating on challenges facing the country such as “freefall of the economy”, increasing inequality of wealth, price rise of essential commodities, “deep-rooted conspiracy” to hand over farming sector to a select group of private corporates, “attack on India’s territorial integrity by China, “attack” on rights of Dalits, SCs/STs, minorities and attempts to divide by using Hindu-Muslim rhetoric.
“As India is plagued by the painful lines of division and hatred, it is obligatory on the Indian National Congress to defend the ethos of the Indian nation and find lasting solutions for peaceful co-existence,” Surjewala said at a media briefing in Delhi on Thursday.
“We know that India expects us to review our organisational dexterity, capacity, capability, but also to adapt ourselves to the current situation and challenges,” he said.
Surjewala alleged that the “bulldozer of bigotry”, superstition, sectarianism, fanaticism, injustice and intolerance “heaped upon the nation” by the BJP government has to a large extent trampled upon India’s march ahead. The Congress has chosen six subjects and constituted groups to examine and submit their primary reports on actionables for the same, he said. These groups are political, social justice and empowerment, economy, Congress organisation, Kisan and Khet Mazdoor and Youth.
These groups will present their first impressions for a conclusive discussion during the ‘Chintan Shivir’ (brainstorming session).
“The 430 invitees to the ‘Chintan Shivir’ will be divided amongst different groups and they shall discuss and deliberate over a period of three days, various facets and challenges, in order to lay down a roadmap. The conclusions shall be presented to the Congress president, and thereafter, to the Congress Working Committee (CWC), for final shape and approval,” Surjewala said.
The roadmap will provide a way forward not only to the Congress to meet up with the current set of “reverses and challenges”, but will also pave the way for a resilient, strong and inclusive nation, he said.
Rising to the aspirations of the nation, the Congress, will introspect, contemplate and reflect upon the way forward and new milestones to be traversed in the session, he said.
Meanwhile, The top leaders demanded that Rahul Gandhi should take over the post of Congress president in the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting held on March 14.
In the meeting, senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told Wayanad MP that he should accept the post of president, according to sources.
Sources further informed, ‘Rahul is ready to consider the post. After this, a proposal came in the meeting to hold the election of the President of August-September. However, it was then decided that the ongoing process cannot be pre-poned.’
