Pilot practice of the Congress party has criticized the Pilot practice of the Congress party to empower the District Congress Committees (DCCs) in Gujarat, but many leaders also hope that the increased representation for the marginalized communities including Dalits, tribals and other backward classes (OBCs), will give the state unit to dig the state unit with the dome of the last three decades.
After a process lasting more than two months, on 22 June, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) appointed 40 DCC chiefs as part of their “Sangathan Srijan” program – Opposition (LOP) to strengthen the brain yield of Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha leader – to strengthen the party.
In the 9-10 April AICC session held in Gujarat for the first time in the state for the first time in about 60 years, the district units were identified as the major construction blocks in the party’s proposed organizational overhaul. While this is a nationwide project, the Congress launched a pilot from Gujarat, where the party has been out of power for 30 years.
Indian Express spoke to several Congress leaders in Gujarat – AICC and State Congress Committee (PCC) supervisors oversee the selection of DCC chiefs – and learned while there were some complaints of “favoritism” and “ignoring women and Muslims”, many state party leaders hope that organizational reunion will give a bost to a party.
In the list of 40 DCC presidents, only one woman – Sonal Patel (Ahmedabad city) – was cut after the appointment process, senior Congress leaders visited 26 Lok Sabha constituencies, 182 assembly blocks and 235 blocks.
The 64 -year -old Patel was in a hurry to express her unhappiness when he was the only woman in the list.
“I was expecting at least three to four women district heads,” she told the Indian Express. “During the March 8 conference (held a month before the AICC session), I told Rahul Gandhi that you only do lips service. He assured me that women would be represented, but I think they would not only appoint one for it.”
The story continues below this advertisement
However, some Congress leaders have defended the appointments, saying that more women will be given opportunities in future, and Sonal’s appointment is important that in view of the importance of Ahmedabad city.
Some AICC observers said that they struggled to find “qualified candidates”. A supervisor told The Indian Express, “The applications were quite low and many women were not applied for the posts.”
The Congress faced a line on the lack of Muslim representation among the new DCC heads. As soon as the issue began to get heated, on 23 June, AICC appointed Salim as the chairman of its Bharach City Unit, with a Muslim population.
While many Muslim leaders in the Congress complained about the lack of leadership roles for them, some others said that it was appealed to the high command of the party after a part of community leaders not to give Muslims too much post as it could “result in polarization”.
The story continues below this advertisement
A Muslim Congress leader said on the condition of anonymity, “When the state has 10% Muslim population, the party cannot appoint a single Muslim? There are at least five districts where Muslims are more than 20%.”
Gujarat PCC Secretary Ilyas Qureshi, while defending the decision to leave Muslims, said that it was done on the suggestion of the party’s own leaders from the community. “Gujarat is a place where polarization can help the BJP. A lot of Muslims would mean in the list. And we did not want it to benefit the BJP.”
While Muslims can be abandoned, some other marginalized communities were represented in the DCC list.
A total of 14 OBC leaders cut the cuts, while tribal and Dalit leaders received seven and four posts respectively.
The story continues below this advertisement
In general category communities, the Patidars were given the charge of eight districts, while the Kshatriyas were given five and two Brahmins.
Congress MP from Lohrdaga in Jharkhand, a tribal leader, Sukhadio Bhagat, who was one of the AICC supervisors in Gujarat, told The Indian Express: “Through the Sangathan Srijan program, Rahul Gandhi has adopted a democratic process from within Gajrat. Haryana too.”
Speaking to the Indian Express, a senior Congress leader of Lalji Desai, a member of the Gujarat and Congress Working Committee (CWC), said that the appointments have “changed the power structure” in the party. “I wouldn’t say that this process was 100% successful because it is not possible. But it has moved power from top to bottom, which means that whoever wishes to become the president of DCC, he will now have to go to the party workers and be asked to make him or him,” Desai said.
Manish Doshi, coordinator of Gujarat Congress Media, said that appointments are “the first steps towards major changes”. “Pahal has changed the establishment of our state for the party. Now, the party unit needs to work together as a team Congress,” said Doshi.
The story continues below this advertisement
The party that represents the OBCs, Dalits and tribals also attain importance as Rahul Gandhi has made a part of his campaign that his fight is for “sharing power”, not only for “representation”.
Some Gujarat leaders say that despite the entire appointment process, the list is “not as fresh as”. The leader said that at least 13 DCC presidents were repeated, and at least 10 are former MLAs and one appointment is a former MP.
“If 13 are repeated and there are 11 former MLAs then how is this fresh leadership?” Asked a Congress leader.
Age factor is also an issue. While the intention of the pilot project was to appoint “young and energetic” leaders, the list has at least eight 60 age groups.
The rest are between 30 and 50 years of age.
,
