Rahul Gandhi meets Congress secretaries to assess responsibilities amid rejig buzz

The Congress leader sought updates on secretaries’ work, state visits and concerns as the party prepares to redefine roles and responsibilities.

New Delhi : Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday met Congress secretaries to know the details of their work and the issues faced by them ahead of an organisational reshuffle that could lead to more responsibilities for these leaders, people familiar with the matter said.

The meeting comes weeks after Rahul Gandhi interviewed possible candidates last month for appointing new secretaries. (PTI)

According to some of the secretaries, who manage the mid-level organisation, and were part of the meeting, the former party chief was keen to assess their performance and commitment.

The meeting comes weeks after Rahul Gandhi interviewed possible candidates last month for appointing new secretaries, as a part of an organisational overhaul. Congress general secretaries KC Venugopal and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were also present in the meeting.

While some general secretaries and in-charges have been changed, the next phase of reshuffle would involve the 56 secretaries working under general secretaries, the people said.

Rahul and Priyanka asked the mid-rank leaders about the length of their visit to states. Rahul told them to spend at least 15 days in their states, emphasising on touring and meeting people rather than operating from Delhi. “There was an indication that Rahul, Priyanka and Venugopal are keen to define roles and responsibilities. They asked a number of questions related to this topic,” said a secretary involved in a north Indian state.

According to leaders, several secretaries highlighted the lack of opportunities. “At least four leaders mentioned the need to define roles in poll-bound states and in states where elections are not due in the near term,” a second secretary said.

In another meeting, the leaders argued that during Sangathan Srijan (an organisational overhaul), the state observers along with in-charges had set up the district committees but secretaries had no role in the process. “The Congress has an in-charge-centric system,” said the first leader quoted above.

A leader considered close to Rahul Gandhi, however, refuted these charges.