New Delhi: In a move aimed at making Congress party workers familiar with the party's ideology and policies, the Congress on Saturday announced conducting regular training programmes for its leaders and workers.
While giving details about the decisions taken at the Congress Working Committee (CWC), KC Venugopal said, "We are going for a "massive training programme" from "top to bottom" for the Congress party leaders."
"The party has decided to undertake regular training programmes for the leaders and workers at all levels. It will be regular and continuous training programmes. The workers and leaders would be trained in party ideology, policies, the expectation of a Congress worker, grassroot messaging, election management, failures of the present government and countering propaganda," said Venugopal, who is organisational general secretary of the party.
"In this regard, it has been decided to conduct an orientation camp for state trainers and in-charges at Sevagram, Wardha from November 12-15. After that, state level, district level and block level training will be conducted regularly," he said while sharing the details of the CWC meeting, which was chaired by interim AICC president Sonia Gandhi.
Further CWC also discussed and decided to observe a mass awareness programme 'Jan Jagran Abhiyan' across the country on price rise between November 14-29, he said.
Through mass awareness programme, the party workers would reach up to the maximum number of people and create awareness on bad handling of the economy by the Central government and the resulted price rise, he said.
"During the two-week-long 'Jan Jagran Abhiyan', all senior office-bearers of PCC, DCC, block committees, all frontal organisations, departments and cells will undertake a long 'pad yatra' to touch each polling booth. Small group meetings will be held to interact with the common people," Venugopal said.
The CWC also approved organisational election schedule. Enrollment of members for organisational election on payment of Rs 5 each, will start from November 1 and continue till March 31, 2022, he asserted.
Election of president and executive of primary committees and block committees, and election of block presidents and executive committees and one member of the PCC by block Congress committee to be held from April 16, 2022 to May 31, 2022, he said.
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi has agreed to "consider" the requests of several senior leaders, including the chief ministers of Punjab, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh, as well as former Defence Minister AK Antony, for becoming Congress president again, if sources are to be believed.
The statements urging the return of Rahul Gandhi was were made at Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting held on Saturday and at the crucial meet it was decided that elections for the party's top post will be held between August 21 and September 20 next year.
While briefing about the decisions taken at the CWC, KC Venugopal said, "Entire Congress party and workers unanimously want Rahul Gandhi as the leader."
During a nearly five-hour-long meeting of the CWC, which is the party's highest decision-making body, various leaders, including chief ministers Ashok Gehlot of Rajasthan, Bhupesh Baghel of Chhattisgarh and Charanjit Singh Channi of Punjab urged Rahul Gandhi to take over as the president.
Rahul Gandhi, in turn, thanked all the leaders for reposing faith in him and said he would apply his mind on their request, the sources said.
"We passed three resolutions, one on the political situation, one on inflation and one on acute agrarian distress and diabolical attack on India's farmers. Following this, the CWC also discussed the proposed significant and revolutionary training programme for the party workers and leaders," Venugopal said, adding that at the CWC meeting, issues of the current political situation, forthcoming assembly elections, and organisational elections were also discussed.
Interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the three Congress chief ministers, among others, attended the meeting, the first such physical meet of the CWC since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Among others present at the meeting were G-23 leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma.