Cong wants to be mass-based

BY OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

New Delhi

June 3: The Congress wants to become a mass-based party like the "Red" Marxists and the "saffron" rightists. This view is gaining ground in the AICC’s "Future Challenges Group" after the series of electoral reverses the party has suffered in the state Assembly polls in the past few months.

Though sources in the "Future Challenges Group" on Tuesday said the main issue before the party is about bogus membership and that this is the root cause why the Congress has been failing to reach out to the people with its policies and programmes, others feel the leadership has to give programmes to the "cadre" if it wants to make it a cadre-based party.

"We have the Seva Dal but do we have the programme for them? Does the AICC have a budget for uniforms for Seva Dal workers," a leader asked.

But M. Veerappa Moily, who heads the "Future Challenges Group", said, "We are a mass-based party rather than a cadre-based party. But we have to build a cadre, starting right from the booth committees, to respond to the people’s wishes and to keep the electorate better informed about what the Congress is doing for them."

The 13-member group, which includes AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi, has looked at the example of the revival of the UK’s Labour Party in drawing up suggestions on how to create a cadre that would be trained to reach out to people. The cadre, Mr Moily said, has to include the youth and people from all sections of society.

A senior leader on the panel complained that publicity for "brand Congress" has not been adequate and the cadre would be useful in publicising policies and programmes better. "The publicity of brand Congress has not been adequate. It is the best brand available, but we have not been properly selling it. There is lack of publicity and connectivity. We need better media management, a better marketing strategy and salesmanship," the leader said.

The report, to be submitted to Congress president Sonia Gandhi shortly, includes recommendations on making the party broad-based, transparent and opening up the organisation to the people.

"The party has to be made more relevant to the lives of the people. All segments of people should get space in it and should get an opportunity to rise in it," Mr Moily said.

Noting that this was important to deal with the growing apathy of the people towards political parties, he said, "As many as 20-25 crore voters do not cast their votes. This lack of enthusiasm among the people towards political parties is not good for democracy."

Mr Moily said the recommendations deal with bringing in more intra-party democracy, adding the suggestions made by Mr Rahul Gandhi with respect to this have been taken into consideration.

Mr Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly spoken about the need to bring in more intra-party democracy and do away with nomination culture. The group has made suggestions on dealing with dissidence and inner-party conflicts and distribution of tickets to candidates.

Asked about the challenge posed by the growth of the BJP, Mr Moily said: "While the BJP only believes in rhetoric, the Congress has always believed in making a difference in the lives of the people and knowing the pulse of the people."

On the issue of coalition politics, Mr Moily said the party has the potential of "standing on its own legs" and its target would always be to form government on its own.

The panel, which besides Mr Moily and Mr Rahul Gandhi, includes party leaders Digvijay Singh, Vayalar Ravi, Prithviraj Chavan, Mukul Wasnik, Jairam Ramesh, Sachin Pilot, Sandeep Dikshit, Salman Khursheed and Anand Sharma, will now deliberate on preparing a roadmap for the coming state elections as well as the Lok Sabha polls.