Thread by @rachitseth

🧵 Thoughts on Congress #ChintanShivir

The Udaipur ‘Nav Sankalp Chintan Shivir’ of the Congress party provides a golden opportunity to reinvent, restructure and reform itself.

India needs Congress to continue as stable and progressive Democracy.

1/n

Earlier, such brainstorming sessions were held in Pachmarhi (September 1998), Shimla (July 2003) and in Jaipur (January 2013). #ChintanShivir

2/n

Owing to the convention, the Congress party has announced 6 coordination panels on various issues “to prepare papers and lead the discussion” #ChintanShivir

3/n

While the famous comparisons between Pachmarhi (1998) and Shimla (2003), resolutions are about Congress ‘diametrical views on coalitions. The real difference is that in Pachmarhi, the party adopted a more reformist approach toward rebuilding its organisation...

4/n

In Shimla, the resolution did not have anything radical, because the 2004 Lok Sabha elections were round the corner. In 2022, with two years to go for Lok Sabha, the party can easily restructure its organisation. #ChintanShivir

5/n

In Pachmarhi, the party approved the proposal ‘to establish a Congress Election Authority, composed of eminent, impartial, and highly respected senior Congress leaders to ensure free and fair elections at all levels of the party’ #ChintanShivir

6/n

Today, multiple actions are required. Building blocks and priority sets must be considered first. #ChintanShivir

7/n

Workers need engagement. Party just added 2.6 Cr new members, through a nationwide digital membership. Right now, there is no pan-Indian mechanism of engagement with these workers. How do they prefer to work? Which department or frontal or state they can be accommodated too?
8/n

Can they be used for effective booth management? In the recently concluded Uttar Pradesh elections, many first-time candidates did not even know what a booth worker is! The party did not have enough booth agents, counting agents, election agents.

9/n

#ChintanShivir

Frontals should remain in front. Smt. Indira Gandhi lost the elections in 1977. But retained power in 1980, because 150 odd people from the Indian Youth Congress became MPs. #ChintanShivir

10/n

They should have a 4P approach – ‘Protest’, ‘Popularize’ & ‘Participate’ and ‘Polls’.

Protest anti-people policies.

Popularize the Gandhian, progressive ideology of the party.

11/n

Participate in programmes to gather larger support for the party, outside its official members.

Serve the people in a constituency, so that party wins polls.

12/n

Congress will get a new President this year. The elections process is on. It is high time she/he presides over a Congress which engages more – both within the party and outside it. #ChintanShivir

13/n

A carefully devised strategy and a roaster calendar need to be prepared whereby Congress President must meet with state units, district & block presidents, frontals, and departments on regular basis. #ChintanShivir

14/n

The age-old convention of holding Congress sessions should be revived. Congress session should be held thrice a year – Budget Session, Monsoon Session & Winter Session. (just like the Parliament!) And they should not be held in Delhi.

15/n

These would act as platforms for cohesive narrative building and would act as an open platform for deliberation on key national issues. #ChintanShivir

16/n

One single umbrella Communications department needs to be in place, supported by various think tanks. Professionals, PR gurus, data scientists, and digital entrepreneurs should be taken on board. The same model needs to be replicated at the State level. #ChintanShivir

17/n

In realpolitik, anyone who has a single vote is important. Therefore, Congress can’t be seen as taking solace in the fact, that the person who has left, does not believe in the party’s ideology. Yes,some might genuinely not. But those who matter must be prevented from going. 18/n

Finally, there is an ideological question, which Congress should face head-on in Udaipur. Does the party need to be more Centrist – like its true progressive, liberal, and nationalistic form? Or does it want to continue to pander to Leftist ideas? 19/n

Disclaimer : All these views are my personal views and does not in any way reflect the views of the party.

I had left Congress in 2019. But as I have said time and again, Smt. Indira Gandhi remains my only inspiration in politics. 20/n

<End>