Ahead of its nationwide student outreach programme, “Chhatron Ki Goonj” in Delhi on 9 August, the Congress party in West Bengal has launched a mega statewide mobilisation campaign in West Bengal.
The outreach comes as the grand old party seeks to strengthen its organisational base and expand its presence among students and youth under the guidance of Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
According to Pradesh Congress Committee leaders, district units have been instructed to ensure the participation of at least 100 people from each district in the programme at Delhi.
The campaign to mobilise students and youth began across districts on Thursday, with the party also planning to intensify its social media outreach to maximise participation.
“Chhatron Ki Goonj” an initiative spearheaded by senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, aims to mobilise students against what the party describes as systemic failures in the education sector, including alleged examination irregularities, question paper leaks, rising education costs and controversies surrounding competitive examinations such as NEET and those conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
State Congress leaders said the immediate focus is to organise district-level programmes on the campaign before 21 July as part of a broader effort to build momentum among young voters ahead of the Assembly elections.
The mobilisation strategy follows a two-day organisational review meeting in Kolkata conducted by Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal.
During his visit, Venugopal held discussions with AICC Working Committee member Deepa Dasmunshi, AICC in-charge for West Bengal Ghulam Ahmad Mir and West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president Subhankar Sarkar on strengthening the party organisation and preparing for the upcoming electoral contests.
Earlier in a press conference after the review meeting, Venugopal accused the BJP of undermining constitutional values and pursuing policies detrimental to the livelihoods of ordinary people.
“They do not believe in the Constitution. They want to destroy the livelihoods of common people. That is why they have started evicting hawkers. The Congress will stand with the poor and continue its fight against the BJP,” he said.
He also asserted that the Congress would adopt an equally “aggressive” political approach in West Bengal as it has in other BJP-ruled states, with issues such as alleged irregularities in NEET and NTA examinations expected to feature prominently in the party’s campaign among students and youth.
The organisational review also assessed the party’s preparedness for the forthcoming by-elections and municipal polls in the state.
Venugopal said that any decision on a possible electoral understanding with other anti-BJP parties would be taken after evaluating the prevailing political situation.
Meanwhile, party sources said the Congress has received permission from the Army authorities for its proposed “Chalo Shahid Minar” programme in Kolkata on 21 July, which is expected to serve as another major organisational mobilisation ahead of the election season.