After three days of intense brainstorming, the three massive messages that emerged from the Congress’s “Chintan Shivir” are that it’s nonetheless circumspect on its strategy to participating with the Hindu faith to counter the BJP’s Hindutva push; it appears to be getting ready the bottom for Rahul Gandhi’s return on the helm; and its makes an attempt to achieve out to Dalits, Adivasis, and minorities stay half-hearted.
That the get together’s communications system will not be a match for the BJP is an accepted truth. Its election administration additionally leaves a lot to be desired. So, choices to spruce up its communications equipment and arrange a division for conducting common surveys to gauge individuals’s temper have been the necessity of the hour for the grand previous get together.
The get together’s choice to maintain its doorways open for alliances wherever obligatory can be a practical name, however what Rahul Gandhi feels about regional events (he stated regional events couldn’t struggle the BJP as they neither have an ideology nor a centralized strategy).
How to counter Hindutva?
The elephant within the room on the conclave, as reported by The Indian Express, was the query of how the get together ought to interact with Hinduism to counter the BJP’s Hindutva politics. For occasion, many Congress leaders have argued through the years that the get together ought to set up contact with the Arya Samaj, which is exterior the affect of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
That the get together has to face with minority communities is accepted by everybody within the Congress, however the query of methods to get non secular Hindus again into its fold stays unresolved.
Over the three days, a number of leaders, notably Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, argued that the get together shouldn’t shrink back from celebrating Hindu festivals, collaborating in religious-cultural actions, and establishing a reference to non secular teams.
The concern proved to be contentious as a number of delegates from south India versus this. Those from the north, the place the get together has been worn out, stated these from different areas didn’t perceive Hindi heartland politics. After vigorous discussions, the Congress panel on political challenges — which steered that the get together ought to set up contact and interact with all social and cultural teams, NGOs, commerce unions, suppose tanks and civil society teams — saved faith inside “square brackets”. In the ultimate declaration that was adopted, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) omitted the phrase faith.
Organizational modifications
The massive push to usher in younger leaders (these beneath 50 years) into management roles in any respect organizational ranges is being seen by political observers and get together insiders as a transfer to pave the way in which for Rahul Gandhi’s return as Congress president in August.
The get together was additionally not keen to provide in to the calls for of the G-23 group of dissident leaders, notably on reviving the Parliamentary Board mechanism. In a sign to them and to placate veteran leaders who would possibly discover themselves out of the CWC due to the entry of youth leaders, Sonia Gandhi introduced an advisory group. But she underlined that the group was not a “collective decision-making body”, a transparent sign to the G-23 leaders who’ve been pushing for collective decision-making as one of many reform measures.
The advisory panel will operate considerably just like the BJP’s margdarshak mandal. Sonia Gandhi will handpick the group’s members and she will disband it at any time when she needs.
Dalit, minority outreach
Thirdly, the get together needs to achieve out to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Other Backward Class (OBC) communities, and minorities, however couldn’t resolve on their illustration quota within the organisation. At current, the get together structure says “not less than 20% of the seats shall be reserved at different Committees for SCs/STs/OBCs and minorities.” The push was to extend it to 50 per cent however that didn’t occur.
The try to achieve out to tribals, Dalits and OBCs is seen as an antidote to Hindutva. Signaling that it’ll attain out to those sections, the get together determined to arrange a Social Justice Advisory Council to assist and advise the Congress president on points associated to SCs, STs, OBCs, minorities, and ladies, demand proportional illustration for girls from these sections within the Women’s Reservation Bill — in different phrases, quota inside quota — and run a management growth mission for these sections.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
