Congress leader Rahul Gandhi should take out a foot-march across the country as part of the programmes intended for the revival of the party, senior Kerala leader Ramesh Chennithala said in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.
The former Leader of the opposition in Kerala assembly pitched the idea of a Bharat Yatra by the former Congress president at a meeting held to discuss the topics to be covered at a chintan shivir (brainstorming session) planned in Rajasthan's Udaipur next week.
Suggesting an overall change in the party, Chennithala said the number of office-bearers at each level should be fixed in the party constitution. He said jumbo committees should be avoided. Chennithala, according to sources, proposed that a District Congress Committee (DCC) should be set up for every 30 lakh people
The sub-committee meet was chaired by Congress Working Committee member Mukul Wasnik. Sub-committees are meeting ahead of the chinthan shivir which will discuss the roadmap for the revival of the party's electoral fortunes ahead of the Lok Sabha polls due in 2024.
Ahead of its 'Chintan Shivir', the Congress' top decision-making body CWC will meet at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi on May 9 to deliberate on the agenda for the brainstorming session as well as the party's future strategy.
The party had last month announced that the 'Chintan Shivir', a three-day brainstorming session from May 13-15, would be held in Udaipur, where party leaders from across the country will discuss internal issues confronting it and come up with solutions to galvanise the organisation.
About 400 top party leaders are expected to attend the camp. Senior leaders including those in the Congress Working Committee (CWC), members of parliament, state in-charges, general secretaries, and state presidents will participate in the Chintan Shivir.
Buffeted by a string of electoral reverses, the Congress had earlier also announced that an empowered group would be constituted to address the political challenges ahead and prepare the strategy for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, days after deliberating on a revival plan presented by poll strategist Prashant Kishor.
Kishor had subsequently declined the Congress's offer to join the party and evolve its poll strategy and said more than him, the party needs leadership and collective will to fix deep-rooted structural problems by carrying out transformational reforms.
The party has also constituted six coordination panels for drafting papers and leading discussions on the issues of political and organisational importance, social justice, economy, farmers and youth during the three-day brainstorming conclave.
The Congress is already gearing up for assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh later this year, besides other state polls in 2023 and the Lok Sabha election in 2024.
With the Congress organisational polls underway, the party will have a new party president between August 21 and September 20 this year.
(With inputs from PTI)
