CHANDIGARH: Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday called for organisational reforms and stronger grassroots engagement while addressing a 10-day training workshop for district presidents in Dharamsala.
The workshop, held under the Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan, aimed to strengthen the party’s grassroots structure and was attended by 62 office-bearers from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
Highlighting ideological differences with the BJP, Rahul Gandhi said the Congress stands for unity, integrity and inclusiveness, and urged leaders to focus on public service and increase engagement with people.
He said dedicated district-level workers could rise to higher positions, including the Rajya Sabha, and stressed the need for organisational changes to adapt to the evolving political landscape.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu accused the BJP of spreading misinformation and said the Congress government is working towards making the state economically strong.
`` He told district presidents that Congress stood for unity, while the BJP promoted division. The party's ideology is rooted in service, not comfort, and must be driven by public interest rather than politics," he said and added organizational reforms were already underway. "Earlier, district presidents were chosen on political recommendations. Now, selections are being made through structured panels," he said.
The workshop also included discussions on organisational issues, policy challenges and grassroots outreach. Sessions were led by Sachin Rao, with participants engaging with beneficiaries of the MGNREGA scheme and farmers.
Senior leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh and Sports Minister Yadvinder Goma, were also present at the workshop.