The Congress is chalking out a strategy for conducting regular nationwide agitations to take on the BJP Government ahead of the next Lok Sabha elections and highlight several issues, including price rise and unemployment among others. The party is also mulling over to rope in civil societies and social organisations in the protests.
AICC sources said senior leaders of the party led by Digvijay Singh on Tuesday late night discussed issues to be highlighted during the protests at the meeting of the Congress committee constituted by the party president Sonia Gandhi last early this month. It was also suggested in the meeting that party leader Rahul Gandhi should take over as the Congress president and lead the agitations, sources said.
The panel chaired by Digvijay Singh will prepare the plan for agitations after identifying the issues and will present the report to Sonia Gandhi for approval. Panel members Ripun Bora and Udit Raj also suggested that a senior leader like Rahul Gandhi should take over as party chief and lead protests across the country to make them a success.
Udit Raj also suggested that social organisations and civil society groups should be involved in such agitations and their support would make the protests a success. AICC source said price rise and unemployment have been identified as the issues to be taken up first, but the timelines will be decided by party chief.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also participated in the meeting that was held at the party's "war room" office at Gurudwara Rakab Ganj road. She also called for raising the issue of plight of MSMEs due to "wrong" economic policies, sources said.
Ahead of elections in several states, Sonia Gandhi on September 3 had set up a nine-member panel of party leaders headed by Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh to plan “sustained agitations on national issues”. Besides Singh, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, MPs Uttam Reddy and Ripun Bora, dalit leader Udit Raj, who switched over to the party from the BJP last year, party leaders Manish Chatratha, Zuber Khan and BK Hariprasad are members of the panel.
The nine-member panel has been mandate to “plan sustained agitations on national issues”. The formation of the committee came days after the Congress, along with 18 other Opposition parties, announced to hold nationwide protests from September 20 to 30.
Meanwhile, Rahul on Wednesday attacked the BJP-RSS, alleging that they were "fake Hindus" who use religion for their benefit. Addressing the foundation day of the All India Mahila Congress here, Rahul Gandhi said that the ideology of the Congress was completely opposite of the BJP-RSS and only one of the two ideologies can rule the country.
Asserting that Goddess Lakshmi stands for the power that helps one attain one's goals and Goddess Durga stands for the power that protects, the former Congress chief said while his party had strengthened these powers when in government, the ruling BJP dispensation have diminished these powers..