Congress may implement ‘Kamraj plan’ to revive itself

New Delhi: Talk of a “Kamraj plan” has begun in Congress circles. While party leaders who met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in the last one month felt urgent, drastic changes were needed in the organisation, they also said that Mrs Gandhi is the only leader who can revive the party after its defeat in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

The “Kamraj Plan” was designed primarily to dispel from the minds of Congressmen the lure of power and create in its place a dedicated attachment to the objectives and policies of the party. Six Union ministers and six CMs resigned from their posts in the 1960s.

Others feel that an NCP merger with the Congress and friendly relations with the Trinamul can help the party check the BJP’s surge outside the Hindi belt. A third view is that of “Ekla chalo (Go it alone)” as the BSP, the DMK, the AIADMK and the BJD is likely to see leadership crises in coming years while the SP, the JD(U), and other regional parties could become irrelevant if they refuse to change with the times.

Mrs Gandhi has constituted a four-member group under the chairmanship of A.K. Antony to look into the causes of the defeat. But this has not enthused the rank and file as Mr Antony undertook a similar exercise earlier but the party neither implemented its advice nor saw a revival in major states.