Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday chaired the meeting of party general secretaries and in charges for states at the party’s new headquarters here and directed the office bearers of the party to undertake a revamp of the organisation from “the state to the booth level”.
Kharge also told the party leaders to “promote people committed to the ideology of the Congress who will stand with it even in adverse circumstances”.
Along with Kharge, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi briefed the party leaders.
This was the first meeting of general secretaries and in charges after a recent reshuffle within the party. The Congress had on Friday implemented a major organisational shakeup which bore the imprint of senior leader Rahul Gandhi’s narrative of ‘jiski jitni hissedari, uski utni bhaagedari’ and on conducting caste census across the country.
In his opening remarks, Kharge said that it was their responsibility to “make the organization strong from state headquarters to the booth level as soon as possible”.
“You will have to go to the booth yourself for this work, work hard and interact with the workers. Our Frontals-Cells have to be involved. I especially want to say about INTUC (Indian National Trade Union Congress), they are an important part of us, involve them also in building the organization,” said Kharge.
The Congress president also told the office bearers to go to booth, zone, block, district, state level on the grassroots and only when this happens, they “be able to connect new people” to the party. “You will be able to bring trustworthy and strong people with you,” Kharge said.
Kharge, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said that the office bearers of the party should “bring people who have so far not got a chance” within the party and can be useful.
“We should promote such people committed to the ideology of the Congress Party who stand with us like a rock even in adverse circumstances,” Kharge stressed.
Kharge also said that on some occasions, people are inducted in the party in a rush, but those who don’t have a strong ideological base end up deserting the party during the testing times.
“All of you will be accountable for the organization and future election results of the states under your charge,” Kharge told the senior leaders of the party.
Kharge also mentioned the selection of Chief Election Commissioner, and alleged that despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US, the country is “sending back Indian citizens in handcuffs like before”. “Vegetarian Passengers were given non-veg food. Our government also failed to protest properly against this insult,” said Kharge.
He also highlighted how the voters were being added and deleted and this is also a challenge for the party and mentioned that Rahul Gandhi had pointed out this issue.
The Congress chief also highlighted how the government appointed new Chief Election Commissioner despite hearing in Supreme Court all set to take.place today and Rahul Gandhi giving a dissent note on the issue.