Rahul Gandhi visited Chandigarh to meet senior party leaders. With the Congress out of power in Haryana for over a decade and lacking a district-level organisation in the state for the past 11 years, Gandhi’s visit marked a key step towards initiating the restructuring process and strengthening the party’s grassroots presence
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal and others during a meeting with party leaders of Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee, in Chandigarh. Pic/PTI
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday held a meeting with senior party leaders from Haryana, along with All India Congress Committee (AICC) and Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) observers in Chandigarh, as part of the party’s organisation rejuvenation campaign, reported the PTI.
The Congress, which has been out of power in Haryana for over a decade, has not had a district-level organisation in the state for the past 11 years.
Rahul Gandhi’s visit aims to set this process in motion.
Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, reached the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) headquarters in Chandigarh at noon, about half an hour after landing at the airport.
During his two-and-a-half-hour stay, he held a meeting with the party’s senior leaders, followed by another session with AICC and PCC observers.
Those present at the senior leaders' meeting included former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, state unit chief Udai Bhan, former HPCC chiefs like Birender Singh, general secretary Kumari Selja, and senior leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala, Ajay Singh Yadav, MP Deepender Singh Hooda, and Ashok Tanwar, reported PTI.
These leaders gave suggestions on reorganising the party unit and strengthening the District Congress Committees (DCCs) and the overall party structure in Haryana, party sources said.
Gandhi later met the AICC and PCC observers, as the Haryana unit is preparing to put its organisational cadre in place.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, senior leader and former Union Minister Birender Singh said the Congress had lacked an organisational structure in Haryana for the past 11 years. He added that the party would become stronger once a full structure is in place.
According to PTI, responding to a question about past infighting within the Haryana Congress, Singh said, “Everyone is united.”
Amit Sihag, who participated in the observers’ meeting, told reporters that the leadership is working to build an energetic organisation and that senior leaders will play an important role in the process.
“Soon, you will see a strong organisation of our party in Haryana,” Sihag said, adding that this process would be completed in a time-bound manner.
“Rahul ji came to express his views and meet everyone,” he added.
The party has also appointed observers to oversee the appointment of District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents in Haryana.
Earlier, Gandhi was given a warm welcome by party leaders upon his arrival at the airport.
Gandhi had visited Bhopal on Tuesday as part of the 'Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan' (organisation rejuvenation campaign).
On Monday, Congress leader in charge of Haryana affairs, B K Hariprasad, said the process to appoint district presidents would be completed within a month.
Udai Bhan said that during a meeting in Belagavi, Karnataka, in December last year, the Congress decided that 2025 would be dedicated to strengthening the organisation.
Hariprasad also explained that after the appointment of district presidents, the selection of a state unit chief and other state-level appointments would follow.
(With inputs from PTI)
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