Congress leader Digvijay Singh today called for “fresh ideas and fresh functioning style” to revive the party, a day after he pitched for a “major surgery” in the organisation in wake of assembly poll defeats in Assam and Kerala and disappointing results in other states.
At the same time, the party general secretary vehemently refused contentions that Congress is down in the dumps saying these are times when right wing has an attraction but the “cycle” will change.
“We are into a time, when the right wing has an attraction… It’s a cycle,” he said, adding that Congress, which is left of the Centre, has undergone these cyclic changes in past as well.
Asked to explain his pitch for “major surgery”, Singh said a number of reports to improve the state of affairs in the party were submitted to the leadership and it’s time to implement those suggestions.
He recalled that after the 2014 general elections, a committee headed by A K Antony was set up to look into the issue (of Congress defeat). After discussions with leaders from states, it submitted a report.
“After that Rahul Gandhi discussed with every senior Congress man, who has been influential in the Congress party in past and present. After that he asked party general secretaries to discuss with state leaders,” Singh recalled saying that the general secretaries submitted a report on the suggestions received to Sonia Gandhi way back on February 28 last year.
Noting that this particular proposal is already with the Congress President, Singh also recalled that there was a Future Challenges Group in 2005-06 under the Chairmanship of M Veerappa Moily.
“So we have to look at the present scenario and also at what should be our organisational structure, our campaign strategy, media strategy, role of social media, building leadership,” he said.
He said that he thinks that after the report was submitted, the Congress President and Vice President “must sort of take a decision” and this is being discussed by all senior Congressmen.
“We have to think of fresh ideas, fresh campaign style and the fresh way of the functioning of Congress party… When I talk of major surgery, I mean some action need to be taken as per the suggestion given to the Congress President. This is time to concretise it,” Singh said.