Entire session may focus on success of Rahul Gandhi’s recent Bharat Jodo Yatra.
NEW DELHI: As the Congress is set to hold its 85th plenary session in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur from 24 to 26 February, all eyes will be on whether the grand old party will carry out any policy and organisational changes, or it will be an event to fulfil just some formalities.
The plenary session will endorse the election of Mallikarjuna Kharge as party president. Similarly, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) would also be constituted. It will be interesting to see whether Kharge manages to hold an election for 12 members or nominates all 25 members of CWC.
When a Gandhi family member used to be president, Congress chief was authorised to appoint the members. Barring the president post, all appointments across the country have been made through general consensus. Sometime back, Rahul Gandhi did insist on filling the posts through elections but that did not happen. The election experiment for filling the frontal organisational posts was not that much successful as well. As per the party constitution, 12 members for CWC are nominated by the Congress president, while as many slots are filled through election. These 12 members are elected by 1,000 AICC delegates who are also elected from all the states. The party is preparing for the CWC election. If Rahul Gandhi insists on election, then the members would be elected through voting. Strategists are of the view that elections should be avoided.
The tradition to nominate members by the president should be continued. Kharge may be a non-Gandhi president of the party, but nothing has changed at the organisational level, nor has anything changed at party headquarters. Workers are still hoping for some changes. They are hopeful that the senior leaders would sit in offices and listen to them. Only the plenary session would unfold what changes take place. The Congress needs to bring about changes keeping in view the upcoming state polls this year and parliamentary elections next year. The 122-member steering committee would decide on the first day itself whether 12 members of CWC have to be elected or nominated. The members of this panel include Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, A.K. Antony and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Senior leaders A.K. Antony and Manmohan Singh are unlikely to attend the meeting.
There are seven committees to prepare resolutions on agriculture, foreign affairs, political affairs, social, sports, youth and economic affairs. The policies of the Modi government would be criticised mercilessly during the plenary session.
Similarly, Adani-Ambani may also be targeted. However, no new or substantial decisions are likely to be taken. The leadership does not want to carry out any major change that could fuel unnecessary controversy. It means Rahul Gandhi will be persuaded not to insist on election for CWC. New faces are unlikely to be seen in CWC. The plenary session is going to be focussed on Rahul Gandhi. It is also to be seen whether any decision comes on the second phase of Bharat Jodo Yatra. Secondly, all eyes will also be on whether or not K.C. Venugopal would continue to be in charge of the organisation. Will some other leader from Hindi state be given organisational charge? It will also be interesting to see whether Rahul Gandhi delivers his speech before Congress president or after him. As per the tradition, the party president should be the last to address which gives an indication about what will be the course of action that the party will take after the session. The entire session is likely to be focussed on the success of the recently concluded Bharat Jodo Yatra of Rahul Gandhi.