Cong assigns tasks to its wings to strengthen party ahead of polls

 The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) has decided to assign specific tasks to all its frontal organisations and various wings to strengthen the party ahead of the next Assembly elections.

Sources in the party said AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka K C Venugopal on Wednesday informed the heads of all the frontal organisations and the wings, including Youth Congress and Congress women’s wing, that the party has prepared a detailed action plan to strengthen its base. The plan is to involve workers in educating them about the “achievements” of the party’s government in the past four years and highlight the “failures” of the Centre. The AICC secretaries will closely monitor the implementation of the action plan.

The AICC general secretary held a separate meeting with office-bearers of all the party wings and frontal organisations at the KPCC office. He directed them to shun all differences and work towards bringing the party back to power in the next Assembly elections, the sources said.

The sources said Venugopal warned a section of Youth Congress leaders who had been demanding that the party annul the recently held elections to the state office-bearers of Youth Congress. The party will not tolerate indiscipline. The elections are fast nearing. The party cannot afford to waste time on such petty issues, he is learnt to have told the leaders.

‘Dalits with Cong’

Earlier, speaking to reporters, senior Congress leader Satish Jarkiholi criticised the BJP’s Dalit outreach programme, saying that Dalits will not support the BJP just because the saffron party leaders are having food at their houses. Dalits have been with the Congress, he claimed.

Congress defends seer

The state Congress on Wednesday supported Vishweshateertha Swami of Pejawar Mutt for hosting an iftar party at the Krishna temple in Udupi recently.

“We welcome the seer’s decision to organise the party. It is a good development...It is good for ensuring communal harmony in society,” KPCC president G Parameshwara told reporters who sought his reaction on the issue.