Congress emphasizes on Leadership Development Mission of SCs, STs, OBCs, Minorities Leaders in Congress

NEW DELHI: On July 5, 2023, in AICC Headquarters, the Congress has laid added emphasis and greater focus on building and carving out leaders from among the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and the Minority communities.

While addressing a special programme on ‘Leadership Development Mission’ (LDM), Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge said, “It was decided last year in the ‘Udaipur Chintan Shivir’ or brainstorming session to launch a special programme for the leadership development among the SCs, STs, OBCs and Minorities,” and he was happy that the Congress Party had launched the programme and appointed Leadership Development Mission (LDM) Coordinators for all the Assembly Constituencies and the SC and ST parliament seats. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge asked the Party workers, “You should not fight among yourselves. You should all support them. Most people try to target and try to pull down new leaders.”

The Congress President said, “The LDM was part of its bigger goal towards social justice and also to empower these communities.” He said, “Current and new leaders will be carved out who will lead and represent their respective communities and also help in strengthening the Party.”

Maintaining that while these leaders will indeed improve the chances of the Party candidates during the elections, Shri Kharge made it categorically clear that the LDM programme had nothing to do with identifying the candidates for elections.

The Party President said, “It is the duty of the PCC, DCC and the BCC Presidents to take the mission forward to the grassroots level.” He said, “He will be personally monitoring its development.” Besides, he suggested to the Party General Secretaries, In-charges and the PCC Presidents, to at least review and assess the work of the mission at least once in a month.

He also asked all the frontal organisations to cooperate with the success of the mission, as it will strengthen the Party at the grassroots.

The Congress President said that the LDM app has been created for the purpose of running the mission successfully. While launching this app, he hopes that this app will prove to be helpful in making communication faster and more effective. With the help of the app, LDM team members will be able to successfully complete the tasks given by the leaders of the Indian National Congress, along with the LDM Parliament Coordinators and LDM Team Leaders. It will also be easy to send reports from the app. From this app, necessary resource materials, Indian National Congress papers will also reach the LDMs. The data of key members will also be there in the app.

Kharge Ji said that he calls upon the Presidents and Frontal Chiefs of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and minority communities to spare their time for monitoring and giving direction to this mission. Support them and cooperate with them. He himself will review the implementation of the mission from time-to-time with the State Congress Presidents and the LDM team. Similarly, he advises Congress General Secretaries, In-charges and State Presidents to check the ground work of LDMs at least once a month. Provide help if there is any problem. He said that I would also like to tell you about this leadership that Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru ji had said one thing in ‘Narora’ camp in 1956. There was a brainstorming meeting of Congress leaders then. The then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was present on both the days when this ‘Chintan Sabha’ was going on. In the closing speech at this meeting, he had said that during 1920 to 1940, there were changes in the Congress organization at various levels. Congress workers were trained under the inspiring leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. They were bound in discipline. Congress personnel solved all the issues during mutual discussion and dialogue. Democracy has its own merits, but the one who has to work, needs to be properly trained. He also said that undesirable people push to get positions in many places and this harms the organization and it is the responsibility of the Congress to make democracy successful. That’s why it is important that we are ideologically strong. We should expand our knowledge with deep study.No party can continue to function unless it reorients itself by making adjustments in line with the progress of events… this is said by Jawaharlal Nehru Ji. He said… Even these undesirable people come into the Party to get something or the other, but sometimes it causes loss to the organization. It was said at that time. Jawaharlal Nehru ji had said this at our Narora camp in 1956. After that, in his message on Youth Day in 1957, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had said - so many people run in public life to become MPs and MLAs. Such desire is not a wrong thing, but it is not the only work of politics to give speeches or pass resolutions. Its work is to fulfill the great task of nation building.

This is a call to prepare the youth for the great work of service. We must all work with determination. This was also said by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. I am putting this in front of you because even at that time, he had given a call for a leadership mission and got the work done in that way. That’s why our Party has been alive for 134 years. Had it not been a leader, it would not have survived. But we all are paying less attention to this. This will give us more strength and our people will work properly.

Shri Kharge expressed immense happiness over the efforts being made to make the mission successful. He said that he was impressed by the resource material prepared for the mission, which must have taken lot of efforts and hardwork.

AICC National Coordinator (SC, ST, OBC & Minority Departments), Shri K. Raju said, “This is not to select candidates but to promote leadership at the ground level and promote such people who work at the grassroots.”

AICC Office-Bearers, General Secretary (Org) Shri KC Venugopal, Treasurer Shri Pawan Bansal, AICC National Coordinator (SC, ST, OBC & Minority Departments) , Shri K. Raju, AICC Secretary (Org) Shri Vamshi Reddy, AICC SC Deptt. Chairman Shri Rajesh Lilothia, Minority Department Chairman Shri Imran Pratapgarhi, M.P., ST Department Chairman Shri Shivajirao Moghe, OBC Department Chairman Capt. Ajay Yadav, Sewa Dal Chief Organiser Shri Lalji Desai, All India Mahila Congress President Ms. Netta D’souza and RGPRS Vice Chairman Shri Harshvardhan also attended the National Workshop on Leadership Development Mission and motivated LDM Coordinators and State Chairpersons of SC, ST, OBC & Minority Departments in New Delhi.