ThinkEdu 2025: Congress should build on ‘politics of aspiration’ to widen appeal, says Praveen Chakravarty

When asked about the contradiction between the Congress taking potshots at big business and its appeal to aspirational youth, Chakravarty said the party was against cronyism.
Praveen Chakravarty, Chairman, Professionals' Wing & Data Analytics, Congress, speaks at ThinkEdu 2025
(Express Photo | P Jawahar)
Praveen Chakravarty, Chairman, Professionals' Wing & Data Analytics, Congress, speaks at ThinkEdu 2025 (Express Photo | P Jawahar)
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CHENNAI: The Congress must focus on the narrative of “politics of aspiration” to appeal to the youth and middle class, said Praveen Chakravarty, Chairman of the party's Professionals’ Wing and Data Analytics.

Speaking at the 13th edition of the ThinkEdu Conclave on Monday, Chakravarty interacted with Santwana Bhattacharya, Editor of The New Indian Express on the topic “Looking Forward: Future of the Congress,” discussing the party’s 140-year legacy, need for structural reforms, electoral performance and alliance strategy.

Stating that Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra was a tremendous success, he said he would like to believe that the “white t-shirt” symbolised the politics of aspiration apart from the politics of love and justice. Chakravarty cited a staggering increase in stock market investors under the age of 30, which rose from five lakh in 2013 to four crore at present, as a clear reflection of this aspiration despite problems like unemployment.

“The message we need to convey is that we stand for aspiration. It’s okay to chase wealth in a fair and clean manner. This is the narrative that the Professionals’ Wing has been tasked with developing and delivering to the middle class,” he said.

When asked about the contradiction between the Congress taking potshots at big business and its appeal to aspirational youth, Chakravarty said the party was against cronyism. “Cronyism is the opposite of aspiration. If private investment has struggled over the past decade, it’s due to cronyism,” he argued.

Chakravarty also noted that while the Congress won 33 out of 65 rural seats in Haryana, it secured only eight out of 25 urban seats. He stressed that building a narrative around aspirational politics could help the party gain traction in urban areas.

Regarding the Maharashtra elections, he highlighted the discrepancies in the voters’ list and cautioned against drawing generalised conclusions from the results or extrapolating it. Defending the Congress’s allegations on tampering of EVMs, he said that even surveys indicate that the belief in EVMs among the public is at an all-time low.

Praveen Chakravarty, Chairman, Professionals' Wing & Data Analytics, Congress, speaks at ThinkEdu 2025
(Express Photo | P Jawahar)
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When asked about contesting elections alone in Delhi, Chakravarty said the party must balance maintaining alliances in each state and facing elections alone in order to strengthen the party. He also dismissed claims that Sheila Dikshit’s legacy is being ignored in the Delhi elections.

Responding to a question on whether the Congress president, the working committee or the former president calls the shots in the party, he acknowledged that there is a need to overhaul the system. “Contrary to what’s being projected, I would argue there are too many systems and processes in place. An overhaul is necessary,” he admitted, adding that the party is in search of a 'new look'.

Chakravarty emphasised that the Congress is the only party capable of uniting the country and governing effectively. However, he admitted the party has struggled to keep pace with the country’s evolving needs. “We need a fresh narrative, strategy and leadership. By 2029, 60-70% of voters will have started understanding politics only after 2009. While our strength is our understanding of the country, our negative is that we are old,” he said.

He also noted that the current government has implemented several major policies originally proposed in the Congress manifesto. He advocated for labor-market-oriented politics, rationalising GST and reducing import duties to support domestic industries. “Apparel manufacturers in Coimbatore and Tiruppur are losing out to Bangladesh and Vietnam due to our import duty structures. Increase in export of apparel from Coimbatore and Tiruppur means employment for women and unskilled labour,” he said. Apart from rationalising GST, he suggested assuring the salaried class that there will be no income tax increases in the next four years.

He also called for unanimity and consensus in economic and foreign policy. Criticising the government, he said, “Our concern is that it doesn’t consult or discuss policies,” questioning when the last all party meeting on foreign policy was held.

Answering a question on countering the Hindutva narrative, he said that the version of Hinduism that is being propagated is not the true version and that is what the party would battle ideologically.

Replying to a question about the Congress playing second fiddle to the DMK, he said that there is a clear pressure, demand and aspiration to build the party's base and become stronger in Tamil Nadu. Earlier, he had also commented that the Lok Sabha election was an equal partnership and even DMK cadre would agree that factors like the Bharat Jodo Yatra and Rahul Gandhi played a vital role.

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