Cong's booth-level units will be directly linked to KPCC: Saleem Ahmed

The crisis-hit Congress has a new team and former MLC Saleem Ahmed is one of the three working presidents tasked with the job of building the party at the grassroots level. Ahmed, who rose from being a student leader, sat down with Bharath Joshi of DH to explain what the new team is up to. Excerpts.

Your appointment has come at a difficult time for the party.

It’s a big responsibility. It’s a challenging job, but we will be successful.

Never has the party had three working presidents. How will responsibilities be shared?

This isn’t new. In Telangana, where I was in charge, there were four working presidents. In Maharashtra, we have five. Earlier, we had two working presidents here. It’s as per what’s most suitable for the party. It’s a good thing to strengthen the organisation and empower the president. Responsibilities will be divided and all of us will work in coordination.

The Congress is moving towards becoming a cadre-based unit. Can you elaborate?

Our first task is to start strengthening Congress at the booth level. A booth isn’t meant for just elections. It’s the primary unit where we have a team. There are some 56,000 booths where we already have committees, which we will ensure work effectively. After the booth comes a block and then a district. So, if you strengthen the booth, automatically the entire organisation is strengthened. Everyone, including big leaders, have to start working in the booths.

This attempt happened in a big way ahead of the 2018 Assembly elections. But it didn’t yield the desired result.

Then, we started closer to the election. Now, we have three years. Secondly, the KPCC will be directly linked with the booth. An action plan has been prepared. KPCC president Shivakumar has started a system where booth committees are monitored by the KPCC. While we’re a mass-based party, we want to get into micromanagement now.

For this to work, party workers need a sense of ownership and belonging. Some say the BJP has a stronger ideological plank that keeps its cadre together.

Congress’ ideology is that of secularism, oneness and taking everyone along. We’re a 130-year-old party that wasn’t born only for power. Our party isn’t divisive. The BJP divides the society and the country’s oneness. Communal harmony is being spoilt. It’s unimaginable!

At one point, Congress had stalwart leaders from minority communities. Is there a vacuum now?

I don’t think so, but sometimes we do feel like that. There were, and are, leaders whom the Congress groomed. Some good senior people we’re not seeing, definitely. But there are leaders. Our priority will also be to find a second line of leadership. Leaders from the NSUI will fill up the second line that can fight for the Congress’ ideology.

The last time a Muslim leader held a prominent party position was in 1963, when Muhammad Ali was president in the erstwhile Mysore state. It’s you, now.

(Laughs) That was over 50 years ago! Muslims and minorities have always stood by the Congress. Even the party gives them prominence always. This is the first time a Muslim has been made working president. Also, I was the first Muslim from Karnataka to be appointed the all-India NSUI president.