NEW DELHI: In the first measure to overhaul the organisation after the crushing defeat in the parliamentary elections, Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit on Friday dissolved all 280 block committees with ‘immediate effect’ in the national capital.
The decision came after an adverse report submitted by a five-member committee, which was set up to look for causes that led to the party’s debacle in the general elections.
Delhi Congress spokesperson Jitender Singh Kochar said Dikshit took the decision in consonance with the report submitted by the committee.
Kochar said the party has started the process to reconstitute committees. “As the elections are due next year, the process for reconstruction of block committees has begun. Observers will be appointed soon, who will go and talk to the people in blocks for selection of workers. Whoever doing good work will be picked.”Dikshit could not be reached for her comments.
In May, Dikshit had formed the panel comprising four senior Delhi Congress leaders and Congress national spokesperson Pawan Khera, who was her political advisor during her tenure as the chief minister. The committee was given 10 days to prepare a report. Other members of the panel were former MP Parvez Hashmi, former Delhi health minister AK Walia, Shastri, former Speaker of Delhi Assembly Yoganand Shastri and former MLA Jaikishan.
A senior Congress leader, who was a member of the panel, said the recommendations to reorganise the party was given after several grassroots workers complained against the ‘weak’ organisational setup.
“A majority of the people had complained that the organisation did not work. Leaders, appeared before us, would tell us names of the party leaders, who worked against the interest of the party and candidates in the elections. It was one of the major reasons for poor performance.”
Block committees are important units as they have direct connect with party workers. These units are responsible to implement the decisions and strategies chalked out by the state leadership.“Block committees work on the ground level. One of their significant responsibilities is to hold meetings. Some of the block panels, which were dissolved on Friday, were formed just before the election by Delhi Congress in-charge PC Chacko and some were nominated by Ajay Maken,” said a Congress leader.
After resigning, Lilothia releases a video on Twitter
Delhi PCC working president Rajesh Lilothia later issued a video on Twitter explaining his reason for resigning. He was among the several Congress leaders who resigned after the recent poll debacle.
A common letter of resignation was being circulated on social media with the names and signatures of certain Congressmen, including those of Haryana Mahila Congress chief Sumitra Chauhan.
However, there was no official word from the party itself about the letter.