Rahul’s youth formula inspires Cong reforms

His success with restructuring of the Indian Youth Congress has inspired the party to initiate changes for democratising and broadbasing the organisation. Saroj Nagi reports.

The Congress is taking a leaf from its Amethi MP Rahul Gandhi’s reform book. His success with restructuring of the Indian Youth Congress has inspired the party to initiate changes for democratising and broadbasing the organisation.
On Monday, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi discussed with leaders Pranab Mukherjee, A.K. Antony, Ahmed Patel, Veerappa Moily and Digvijay Singh the issue of party reforms.

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The changes will begin once the ongoing organisational elections leading to the re-election of Sonia as party chief are over by the middle of the year.

“The party reforms will be taken up after the present organisational elections and will involve restructuring the party organization, elections and membership,’’ said general secretary Digvijay Singh. “The objective is to make the organization more homogenous…’’ he said.

The meeting discussed the summary of a report that the Group on Future Challenges and Opportunities had submitted to Sonia almost a year ago on party reforms. The Group, headed by Moily, also included Rahul, who has been trying to initiate changes in the Youth Congress.

These changes involve an open and democratic election of officebearers, a transparent membership drive and an organisational restructuring that synchronises the party unit with the parliamentary or assembly constituency or a panchayat units.

The Youth Congress also earmarks a social quota for minorities, women and other disadvantaged groups in its officebearers.