Only merit to count, not ‘links to so and so': Rahul Gandhi's message to divided Haryana Congress

Indian Express

2 days ago

In his first visit to the Haryana Congress headquarters in Chandigarh after the party's surprise loss in the Assembly elections eight months ago, Rahul Gandhi addressed the factionalism that is believed to have cost the party the polls.
At a meeting where 17 top leaders of the AICC and PCC were present, Gandhi said workers 'who work for the party and not for a particular leader' should be identified for appointment to the organisation. The meeting was part of the Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan (organisation reorganisation campaign) that the Congress is conducting across the country.
This meeting was followed by another held by Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition, with recently appointed AICC and PCC observers for the state. The observers are tasked with identifying party workers to create a cadre at the ground level.
In Haryana, the Congress has not had an exercise for ground-level party organisation for 10 years. Factionalism has meant that since October 2024, it has not been able to even appoint a Leader of the Opposition for the Haryana Assembly.
The leaders who attended the first meeting chaired by Gandhi included AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal, Haryana Congress in-charge B K Hariprasad, Haryana PCC president Udai Bhan, former CM and ex-CLP leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda, former PCC presidents Birender Singh and Ashok Tanwar, Congress MPs Kumari Selja, Randeep Singh Surjewala and Deepender Singh Hooda, and former chairman of the Congress OBC wing Capt Ajay Singh Yadav, among others.
A source said that Gandhi emphasised that 'no recommendations, no affiliations (to any leader) will be taken into account while creating the organisational cadre'. 'He also made it clear that any harm to the party due to factionalism will not be tolerated, and that the recently appointed observers would look for party workers who work in the interest of the party, have allegiance to the party's ideologies and not because they are blue-eyed of any particular party leader.'
Party leaders said Gandhi had asked the observers to identify 'hard-working party workers' who come from a humble background and are active in their respective districts.
After the meetings, Hariprasad told a press conference that the Congress will announce its district presidents before the end of June. 'Earlier, we used to first announce the CLP leader and PCC president. But, this time we shall first announce the district presidents. Each district will have a panel of six persons from whom one shall be chosen as president. Ideally, the district president should be in the age group of 35 to 55 years old.'
Asked about the factionalism within the Haryana unit of the party, Hariprasad said it 'has no place in the Congress party's future journey'. 'If anybody is found indulging in (this), due action shall be taken.'
Hariprasad also said that party leaders or workers who had quit in the past due to any reasons 'are welcome to join back'. 'The party will focus on SC/ST women to give them due representation in leadership roles. Those who do not believe in the RSS or BJP's ideologies will also be welcomed in the party.'
Udai Bhan appreciated the time given by Gandhi 'despite his tight schedule' – his meeting with top leaders went on for three hours – and the fact that he had heard out everybody. 'Having an organisational cadre at the ground level is of extreme importance and there should not be any further delay in creating it.'
Capt Yadav told The Indian Express that Gandhi told them that 'observers who have been appointed by the AICC are coming to Haryana from diverse backgrounds and political positions', and that they would work in coordination to select district presidents 'purely on merit'.
After the meetings, Gandhi left for Chandigarh airport with Venugopal, Surjewala and Selja.