After demonising RSS for almost 70 years for offering an alternative brand of politics to the country, the Congress party seems inclined to take a leaf out of RSS’ book in enacting structural reforms. Drawing inspiration from the RSS, Sonia Gandhi-led Congress is mulling over adopting RSS-like “Preraks” for turning around the fortunes of the party.
According to reports, Congress is set to appoint ‘Preraks’ or ‘messengers’ at the district level across the country to give a fillip to its mass contact programme. The state units of Congress have been instructed to identify local leaders from the party who will be imparted training for several days. The report said that these selected Preraks will be assigned to work on the party agenda and look after party work similarly like Pracharaks in the RSS.
Sonia Gandhi also added that it was not enough to be aggressive only on social media as democracy is in peril and mandate was misused by the incumbent government. “Democracy is in peril and the government is misusing the mandate provided to it. Freedom fighters and leaders like Gandhi, Patel, Ambedkar are being appropriated by the BJP with the singular purpose of misinterpreting their true messages to further their evil agenda. Merely being active on social media is not enough, the party should have agitational agenda to counter the government,” Sonia Gandhi said.
It is noteworthy to mention that Sonia Gandhi’s comments come a day after the Congress Twitter account drew flak for its juvenile social media campaign against the Finance Minister N Sitharaman’s statement regarding the slowdown in the auto sector.
FM @nsitharaman logic. #BharatiyaJokeParty pic.twitter.com/rn6hpMZXGH
— Congress (@INCIndia) September 11, 2019
This is for the first time that Congress party is identifying local leaders and entrusting them with such responsibilities. The party has placed stress on the training program of the party cadre to challenge government agenda and also bring about a policy change of party to invest greater power in grass-root level leaders after it fared disastrously in a string of elections.
With the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi just days away, the Congress is preparing to organise a nationwide padyatras across the country, wearing Gandhi topis and holding seminars. Chairing a meeting with senior Congress members such as Dr Manmohan Singh, Ghulam Nabi Azad, the interim president of the party-Sonia Gandhi possibly discussed about Gandhi Jayanti preparations, membership drive and party worker training.
