Rahul: Only Cong can take on BJP in battle for future
Congress makes some changes at Chintan Shivir but rejects a parliamentary board
Saubhadra Chatterji
UDAIPUR: As the Congress prepares to reboot its politics and organisation, Rahul Gandhi announced that his party, and not regional outfits, can take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in what he called the “battle of India’s future”.
After a string of electoral losses, Gandhi asked Congress leaders to rebuild the party’s broken connection with the people, announced “the way we do our work must change” and hailed the “one family one ticket” formula and the “youth quota” in the organization.
The party announced major changes in the organisation with the setting up of an election management department (a key suggestion of poll strategist Prashant Kishor) to fight elections effectively, and a task force to drive internal reforms.
The Congress will also set up a public feedback department to provide “rational feedback” on various issues for policymaking and a national training institute for training of party leaders and workers on the policies, ideology, vision, and policies of the government, and current burning issues.
Reeling under several electoral defeats from both the BJP and regional parties, the Congress kept its doors open for “necessary alliances”. But Rahul Gandhi made it clear to the party that it’s the Congress that has to fight the BJP.
Concluding the Nav Sankalp Chintan Shivir, Congress president Sonia Gandhi announced a Bharat Jodo Yatra (Unite India March) from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, and an advisory body drawn from working committee members.
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