Rahul Gandhi meets Congress secretaries to assess responsibilities amid rejig buzz

Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday met Congress secretaries to know the details of their work and the issues faced by them ahead of an organisational reshuffle that could lead to more responsibilities for these leaders, people familiar with the matter said.

According to some of the secretaries, who manage the mid-level organisation, and met Rahul Gandhi, the former party chief was keen to assess their performance and commitment.

The meeting comes weeks after Rahul Gandhi interviewed possible candidates last month for appointing new secretaries, as a part of an organisational overhaul. Congress general secretaries KC Venugopal and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were also present in the meeting.

While some general secretaries and in-charges have been changed, the next phase of reshuffle would involve the 56 secretaries working under general secretaries, the people said.

Last week, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge shifted general secretary Bhupesh Baghel from poll-bound Punjab to Assam and had given Karnataka general secretary Randeep Surjewala additional charge of Gujarat, which goes to poll next year. The party dropped three in-charges and handed over the responsibility of Punjab to Sachin Pilot, the former Rajasthan deputy chief minister.

Rahul and Priyanka asked the mid-rank leaders about the length of their visit to states. Rahul told them to spend at least 15 days in their states, emphasising on touring and meeting people rather than operating from Delhi. “There was an indication that Rahul, Priyanka and Venugopal are keen to define roles and responsibilities. They asked a number of questions related to this topic,” said a secretary involved in a north Indian state.

According to leaders, several secretaries highlighted the lack of opportunities. “At least four leaders mentioned the need to define roles in poll-bound states and in states where elections are not due in the near term,” a second secretary said.

In another meeting, the leaders argued that during Sangathan Srijan (an organisational overhaul), the state observers along with in-charges had set up the district committees but secretaries had no role in the process. “The Congress has an in-charge-centric system. Secretaries are not required to give feedback and we are not a part of the decision-making system,” said the first leader quoted above.

A leader considered close to Rahul Gandhi, however, refuted these charges. Calling the meeting as a “regular affair”, he said such interactions are aimed at strengthening the organisation.

“These charges of not getting defined roles or little opportunities are baseless. Opportunity also depends on the person’s calibre. I was appointed a secretary after working in the organisation for 17 years. Some people might have come from other backgrounds. They cannot expect to do heavy lifting from day one,” said the leader.

He added that the High Command, especially Rahul Gandhi and Venugopal “know every worker’s tasks. How many days they have spent in the states and the areas a secretary had covered. They know what is going on.”