CONG TO FOCUS ON PARTY’S REVIVAL

NEW DELHI : The upcoming chintan shivir (brainstorming session) of the Congress is likely to focus on a strategy to revive the party, which has faced consecutive losses in assembly and general elections, people familiar with the matter said on Friday. The meeting will also discuss the economic situation of India and its relations with neighbouring countries, among other issues.

The three-day session, which will begin on May 13, will be held along the lines of the 2003 Shimla session.

The session is a result of a proposals made by the G23 leaders last year and is expected to discuss both the organisational issues as well as the political challenges facing the party. “There will be different sessions to discuss various issues. All such discussions would be reflected in the resolution that will have different subheads,” said a senior leader involved with the preparation for the meeting.

Besides electoral defeats, the Congress has also suffered internal losses with important leaders such as Jyotiraditya Scindia and Himanta Biswa Sarma joining the BJP. Unlike the previous brainstorming sessions, when the Congress was a dominant player in Indian polity, this session comes in the backdrop of a full-fledged political crisis.

According to two leaders familiar with the matter, the Udaipur meeting will discuss “the organizational challenges, ideological issues and also the raging subjects such as economic failure of the Modi government, the border row with China, the political pressure on India’s institutions and the current political situation”.

“We are not going to talk only about strengthening the organization without taking into account the people’s issues,” the leader added. Some Congress leaders also expect a renewed clamour to make Rahul Gandhi the next party president.