Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday released his manifesto for the upcoming election for party president, favouring to limit the term of office for state chiefs. The Lok Sabha member from Thiruvananthapuram also dismissed rumours of him opting out of the presidential race due to meagre support, insisting that he has been receiving support from various quarters and was very much in the fray.
"My message is revive the party, re-energise it, empower workers, decentralise authority and be in touch with the people. This, I believe will make Congress politically fit to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP in the 2024 general election," Tharoor told reporters at Congress state headquarters in Chennai.
He reiterated that the contest between him and party veteran Mallikarjun Kharge was a friendly one, based on different approaches to face the BJP.
"We need to reform the way our party functions. We need to bring young people in the party and give them real authority. At the same time, we should give greater respect to hardworking and long-serving karyakartas," he said.
He promised to revived certain institutions like the parliamentary board, decentralise power, and strengthen party at the booth level. Utilising general secretaries for nation building activities while dispensing their services as state in-charges, and trusting state chiefs by giving them a free hand in decision making are also among the top points highlighted in the manifesto.
"The party is not a machine to fight elections once in five years, but it should live along with and serve the people... we should connect with the people and work with them," the Thiruvananthapuram MP said.
{{/usCountry}}"The party is not a machine to fight elections once in five years, but it should live along with and serve the people... we should connect with the people and work with them," the Thiruvananthapuram MP said.
{{/usCountry}}On Thursday, Tharoor said he enjoyed “a warm welcome” from party colleagues at the state headquarters. He, however, alleged that no office-bearers were present at the office.
“At the ensuing press conference, media alleged that office-bearers were told to stay away. Interestingly dozens of ordinary citizens attended, to show me their support,” he tweeted.
(With PTI inputs)