New Delhi [India], May 9 (ANI): A committee formed by the Congress as part of preparations for ‘Nav Sankalp Shivir’ to be held in Udaipur has talked of ‘one family one ticket’ norm and suggested giving 50 per cent representation to SCs, STs, minorities, OBC and women in party panels. Sources said the committee has made several other suggestions to the party leadership including fixing tenures of office-bearers at various levels including AICC and these may be taken up at the Chintan Shivir being held from May 13 to 15.
The panel is learnt to have suggested constituting a time-bound constitution review committee. The Pradesh Congress Committees may have their separate constitution with the approval of the Congress Working Committee (CWC). It has talked of an urgent need to constitute a political affairs committee, a public insight committee and a committee on public policy. A committee to coordinate with different citizen groups, civil society and employees has also been suggested.
Sources said the panel recommended that internal party elections in the frontal organization and in the CWC may be monitored with the stakeholders to ensure transparency. A mechanism for accountability may be evolved, it has suggested. The panel has also suggested constituting intermediate committees between block and booth and between district and state.
It is learnt to have recommended rationalising the size of committees from block to the PCC level and proposed that the representation of SCs, STs, OBCs, minorities and women should be 50 per cent of the committees. The panel has suggested that one person should only be holding one organizational position and the norm of ‘one family, one ticket’ should be followed.
It has suggested that local body elections must be contested. In the states where the party has challenges, the panel has suggested that it may have 50 to 100 organizing secretaries focusing fully on panchayat or local body elections with emphasis on identifying candidates. The organising secretaries, the panel suggested, should be responsible for 5 to 10 districts and may stay at the grassroots with workers for about 100 days.
Sources said the panel has suggested fixing tenure of office bearers from AICC to DCC level. Suggesting that AICC and PCC general body meetings may be held twice a year, the panel has recommended quarterly meetings of PCC/ DCC executives, holding conferences at district and state level on relevant political issues and party’s plenary meeting every five years.
It suggested deliberations on a transparent fundraising process and a message of austerity in public life. The panel is leant to have suggested that members should refrain from raising internal party issues publicly and recommended a revamp of the Communications Department with media, social media, research, data and data analytics and Vichar Vibag being its parts.
The panel has suggested tracking workers’ performance through an app and showcasing the party’s model of governance, sources said. It has called for the advance selection of candidates especially in seats where the party has lost by large margins, the sources added. Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Monday chaired a meeting of Congress Working Committee to discuss the agenda of the chintan shivir. (ANI)
