Sonia, Priyanka attend brainstorming session in Rae Bareli

Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra attended a closed-door brainstorming session in Rae Bareli on Wednesday.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra attended a closed-door brainstorming session in Rae Bareli on Wednesday.

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The session was part of the ongoing four-day training camp that the party is holding for its new city, district and state teams to prepare workers to accomplish Mission UP 2022 and bring the Congress back to power in the state assembly elections, due to be held two years later.

Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Ajay Kumar Lallu, along with new city, district presidents and state office bearers, was also present on the occasion.

“Yes, there has been brainstorming on political and ideological issues in the backdrop of Indian culture and the Congress ideology vis-à-vis the one being followed by the party’s adversaries. How to use the social media better in the Congress’s interest and strengthening the party organisation and formulation of strategy for future campaigns and agitation programmes remained in focus at the training session,” said a senior office bearer after attending a joint training session at Bhuemau guest house in Rae Bareli.

State Congress leaders feel the training programme will help them in preparing the cadres to counter the propaganda of other parties in the backdrop of ongoing protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

“As the Congress has been fighting the BJP and has had alliances with the Samajwadi Party and the BSP in the past, discussions on the ideological differences with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the caste-based parties (the SP and the BSP) have been useful. We also discussed how to identify with the first-time voters, including the girls, in the backdrop of rising crime against women,” said the leader.

Priyanka, on her part, asked the Congress leaders to strengthen the organisation at the grassroots level. She said the Congress could effectively challenge and counter its opponents if it had a strong organisational backup.

At the training camp, the party leaders were informed about the decision to launch a statewide agitation on issues concerning farmers in the coming days.

“The Congress will target the BJP government on the condition of farmers. We will hold corner meetings and go to houses of farmers in villages to listen to their problems. The Congress workers will ‘gherao’ the public representatives and officers on issues concerning farmers and a farmers’ march has been proposed,” said the leader, adding, the “office bearers were briefed about formation and management of committees at booth levels.” Another leader said the district and city chiefs have been asked to launch agitations on local issues and follow instructions they get from the state party and the All India Congress Committee.

The Congress has divided its four-day training camp from January 20 to 23 in two parts with the district and city presidents from east UP given training on the first two days. Wednesday was reserved for joint training with the state office bearers while district and city chiefs from west UP will be imparted training on Thursday.

Most office bearers only said they would follow the party’s directives to strengthen the organisation at grassroots level and launch agitations on various issues.

Death of former MLA’s son condoled

LUCKNOW Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday visited the residence of former Congress MLA Ajay Pal Singh at Arkha.

The mother-daughter spent about half-an-hour at the former legislator’s residence whose son had died last month.

Ajay Pal Singh belongs to the royal family of Arkha and wields considerable influence in the area. Sonia and Priyanka then drove to the Bhuaemau guesthouse where a training camp of party leaders is underway.