The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee’s (KPCC) Political Affairs Committee (PAC) on Wednesday resolved to rebuild the party’s organisational clout from the grassroots level.
KPCC president K. Sudhakaran said the party would whittle down the top-heavy State leadership from 350 to 51 members. Mr. Sudhakaran said the KPCC would revamp 14 district committees. The party would have full-time dedicated workers on a minimum subsistence dole.
Merit, tenacity, good political mooring, willingness to work and walk the extra mile were the yardsticks for future DCC presidentships and allied organisational posts. Other factors would take a backseat.
The party would also rejig booth and mandalam committees. It would form neighbourhood groups for every 50 households. The party has reserved 10% of its posts for women and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Mr. Sudhakaran announced a political and leadership training school to re-educate Congress workers on party values and ethos. The school would help them develop social service and community skills essential for establishing local connect.
Henceforth, only KPCC approved spokespersons could participate in channel discussions. The party needed to project a unified face in the mainstream and social media. The KPCC would revamp the organisation’s news channel and newspaper.
Mr. Sudhakaran cracked the whip on combative statements and opinionated social media posts on organisational matters by party members. He announced disciplinary committees at the district and State level to curb anti-party views.
He said the public war of words and acidic comments that targeted individual leaders or cast aspersions on the party’s decision-making process did not augur well for the organisation’s image. Such remarks and verbal squabbles conveyed the wrong impression that the Congress was in a permanent state of revolt in Kerala.
The Congress would no more tolerate airing of grievances and off the cuff remarks on the party's internal matters. Mr. Sudhakaran also announced a committee of experts to study the lapses that led to party’s defeat in the Assembly polls.
The party organisation had failed at multiple levels. A scientific assessment would aid the KPCC to rectify the mistakes and make the party battle-ready for future political challenges.
