After seven years in the Opposition, the Congress on Thursday announced a 9-member committee to plan “sustained agitation” on national issues.
While former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh will head the panel, party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will be one of the members.
“I have sought an appointment with the honourable Congress president and will seek her guidance,” Mr. Singh told The Hindu when asked about the issues the committee plans to identify to launch an agitation.
This is the first time that the principal Opposition party has set up a formal structure to plan agitation and campaigns. Usually, the Congress general secretary in-charge of organisation coordinates and plans such campaigns.
While it is being speculated whether the panel on agitation was among the ideas shared by election strategist Prashant Kishor, sources said a few senior leader had suggested it to the Congress president much before Mr. Kishor’s recent meeting with the Gandhis to revive the party.
The Congress has been raising the issue of repeated increase in prices of cooking gas, diesel and petrol, and the national monetisation pipeline (NMP). In the past two weeks, former party president Rahul Gandhi did two press conferences on these issues.
On the issue of hitting the streets, Mr. Gandhi said they were exercising “restraint”.
“The anger against the government is building, but voices are being suppressed. COVID-19 pandemic is still not over, so we also do not want lakhs of people to take to the streets. This can lead to other issues, so we are exercising a little restraint,” Mr. Gandhi told reporters on Wednesday.
