Kohima, February 26 The opposition Congress is aiming to transform its organization in Nagaland through a grassroots-driven, time-bound restructuring process, a senior leader said on Thursday.
Congress Seva Dal chief organizer Lalji Desai said efforts are being made as part of the 'Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan'.
Addressing a press conference at Congress Bhavan in Kohima, Desai said Nagaland is the fifth state where he was overseeing the organizational exercise.
"The initiative seeks to gather feedback and suggestions from party workers at all levels – from district and blocks to the booths," he said.
Desai emphasized that the exercise seeks to revive the Congress's traditional bottom-up approach by directly involving grassroots workers in decision-making.
"We are here to listen. There is 100 per cent time for a Congress worker. Anyone can meet us," he said, adding that his team will conduct both group and one-on-one meetings, including assembly-level interactions and consultations with senior leaders.
Asked about the state Congress's organizational weaknesses after remaining in the opposition for 23 years, he said the exercise aimed to identify potential leaders in every district to address this.
Desai said senior leaders from Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Delhi, including members of the Congress Working Committee, are participating in district and block-level consultations.
He said that once district Congress committee presidents are appointed, they will undergo a mandatory 10-day training focused on organizational building and transformation.
"They will then be assigned specific tasks to establish two additional layers of party structure at the block and assembly levels, followed by expansion to the village level," he said.
"Within 45 days, we aim to ensure a functional organization at every level," he said, adding that progress reports will be submitted to the AICC by March 7.
At present, the party has 12 district committees for the state's 17 districts.
"The party's organizational structure does not necessarily correspond to district boundaries and may vary based on political considerations. Any future expansion of district units will be decided jointly by the state Congress and the AICC," he said.
State Congress working president C Apok Jamir said the initiative, adopted during the party's session in Ahmedabad last year, aims to empower leaders at the grassroots level.