Kharge talks tough on accountability from \'top to bottom\', Cong plenary in Feb

NEW DELHI: The Congress’ steering committee met Sunday under the chairmanship of the party’s new president Mallikarjun Kharge. It decided that the party’s 85th plenary session will be held at Raipur in Chhattisgarh in the second half of February 2023.

The session will ratify the election of the Congress president and will also see the appointment of a new working committee of the party. The steering committee was formed in place of the working committee, the party’s highest decision-making body after Mr Kharge took charge as the new Congress chief in early October.

Mr Kharge read the riot act to the party’s office-bearers at Sunday’s first meeting and demanded that accountability be fixed. In his opening remarks to the steering committee constituted by him, Mr Kharge asked all the state in-charges to submit a roadmap for holding mass contact movements on people-centric issues over a period of 30 to 90 days, and sought a schedule of plans of the party in states where elections are due before 2024.

Talking tough, Mr Kharge said: “This is neither right nor acceptable. Those who are unable to fulfil their responsibility, they will have to make way for their colleagues,” he said. He added he would like the general secretaries and state in-charges to first ensure their own responsibility and then the responsibility of the organisation under them.

He cautioned party leaders and said that unless the general secretaries and in-charges, their secretaries, state Congress chiefs and party MLAs and MPs do not prepare a blueprint for action at the ground level, the Congress’ job as the main Opposition party cannot be fulfilled.

Mr Kharge also hit out at the Narendra Modi government over several issues. These included rising prices, farmers’ issues, the climate of hate being spread in the country, the border standoff with China, among other things.

The steering committee decided to hold a “Hath se Hath Jodo Abhiyan” across the country following a massive response to the Bharat Jodo Yatra. AICC general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal said: “It was decided to hold a two-month campaign ‘Hath se Hath Jodo Abhiyan’ from January 26. This will be a clear follow-up of the Bharat Jodo Yatra.” The campaign will have block level padayatras covering all booths across the country.