Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Saturday created a flutter just ahead of a Congress Working Committee meeting by praising RSS-BJP’s system of promoting grassroot workers to leadership by citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s case even as he told his party leadership the perils of “over centralisation” that is harming the organisation.
Around 45 minutes before the CWC meeting at 10:30 AM, Singh posted on 'X' an “impressive picture” of Modi sitting at the foot of LK Advani at a function on a digital platform and said that such a grassroots RSS-BJP worker become the Chief Minister of the state and the Prime Minister of the country.
“This is the power of the organization. Jai Siya Ram,” he said, triggering speculation about what message Singh intends to send to the leadership ahead of the meeting called to discuss protest against repeal of MGNREGA and other issues, including organisational matters.
Amid reports that Singh was upset with the organisational revamp exercise in Madhya Pradesh, his home state where he was Chief Minister for two terms besides heading the state party unit, more puzzle was added as a post pinned on his ‘X’ profile appeared to complain about top leader Rahul Gandhi’s alleged reluctance to change his positions on organisational matter.
Digvijaya Singh's post
Credit: X
“Rahul Gandhi-ji you are absolutely ‘bang on’ in matters of socio-economic issues. Full Marks. But now please look at Congress also. Like the Election Commission needs reforms, so does Congress. You have started with ‘Sangathan Surjan’ but we need more pragmatic decentralised functioning. I am sure you would do it because I know you can do it. The only problem is that it is not easy to ‘convince’ you,” he said.
At the meeting, sources said Singh raised concerns over the decision-making process, claiming that there is “a lot of over centralisation”. He said district and state presidents are being appointed but no committees are formed at any levels. He said RSS and BJP has a strong organisation and if one has to fight it, Congress needs to strengthen itself.
Photo shared by Digvijaya Singh.
Credit: X
He also questioned why the decision to set up the Election Management Committee, which was part of ‘Udaipur Nav Sankalp Declaration’, at the national and state levels was not implemented. While acknowledging the need for organisational revamp, a section of the leaders said Congress has its own history and does not need lessons from RSS-BJP.
Without referring to any particular leader, sources said Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal told the meeting towards the end that some leaders timed their statements with party’s announcements or press conferences by Kharge and Rahul to divert attention.
The Congress had in its Working Committee meeting in Belagavi on December 26 last year had announced 2025 as the year of organisational revamp. However, sources said the nearly three-hour meeting did not have a large-scale review of the programme.
In his opening remarks, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the process of appointing new district presidents has been completed in nearly 500 districts across the country and the process will be completed in remaining districts in the next 120 days. “But the matter is not limited to appointments alone. We must make the organisation active, accountable, and combative at the state, district, block, mandal, and booth levels,” he said.
Seeking to corner the Congress, senior BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi told reporters, "the Congress leadership is 'Jawahar ke Lal', so they are upside down, and therefore they have brought their party to an upside-down state while our Prime Minister is a 'Gudri Ke Lal'. He rose from the bottom to the top, and he is taking the party from the bottom to the top as well.