Rahul’s future challenge for present crisis: raising a cadre-based party

In keeping with Rahul’s oft-pronounced emphasis on “democratisation” in the party, the draft report also recommends elections right from booth to district units of the party. The proposed reform process would, however, exclude the office of the Congress president and the Congress Working Committee (CWC), said sources present in Tuesday’s meeting. Also, there was no discussion on democratisation at the PCC (state) level either, they said.

With the top offices excluded from the ambit of the process, it is not clear how the so-called democratisation — the core of the proposed intra-party reforms — would bring about any drastic change, said sources.

The draft report, to be submitted to the Congress president, also spoke of training programmes at all levels of the party to reach out to the masses and to publicise ‘Brand Congress’. There are also several proposals about structural changes, which would include, among others, redefining the unit— like at district and block levels — in terms of its geographical limits in the wake of the delimitation of constituencies.

As for transforming the 123 year-old Congress into a cadre-based party, there was no unanimity even in the Future Challenges Group. Some members felt the Seva Dal was also, for all practical purposes, cadre-based as the members were trained in party ideologies and programmes, even though the party did not provide for their livelihood.

“The very concept of cadre is abhorrent to democracy. It smacks of owning a person. But making the Congress cadre-based is just a recommendation. It will be hotly debated if and when the Congress president Sonia Gandhi presents the report for the consideration of the CWC,” said a senior Congress leader. The Future Challenges Group also drew from the example of the Labour Party’s resurgence in drawing up suggestions on how to create a cadre who would be trained to reach out to the people.

The cadre, according to Moily, has to include the youth and people from all sections of the society. The draft report also stressed the need for better publicity of the ‘Brand Congress’. “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,” said a senior party leader.