Congress holds 'Nava Sankalpa Shibira' in poll-bound State

Bengaluru: With the participation of over 500 leaders, Karnataka Congress' 'Nava Sankalpa Shibira' kick-started at a resort on the outskirts of the city on Thursday to discuss the way forward and the party's strategy, ahead of assembly polls next year.

The two-day brainstorming session, being held on the lines of party's recent Udaipur 'Chintan Shivir', saw top leaders urging its office bearers and workers to abide by the party discipline and work unitedly, with an aim to bring the Congress back to power in the state, by achieving the target of winning over 150 seats.

AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala, state Congress President D K Shivakumar, Congress Legislature Party leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah along with top party leaders from the state are participating in the Shibira.

"First we need to bring the party to power, 150 plus seats target needs to be achieved, only then we will be able to empower each one of you and through you to the people of Karnataka," Surjewala said at the inaugural.

Noting that the party gets weakened if there are divisions, he said, if there is an impression that leaders at the top are fighting among themselves, then the message of division will undermine other things

"It is the unity of the party, leadership and its cadre that will ultimately help you win the election," he said and added that disappointments are fine, it can be addressed, but it should not become dissensions, as it is harmful to the party.

Surjewala's statement gains significance amid growing voices of factionalism in the party and alleged one-upmanship between Siddarmaiah and Shivakumar, who are nursing Chief Ministerial ambitions, and their supporters, who want to assert their respective leaders' hold on the party.

Congress is a democratic party and everybody should be permitted to speak, and others' opinion must be respected, he further said, but when the "Lakshman Rekha" of discipline is crossed, then it harms the party.

"This quest to go out and give gyan to the party through the media has to stop. We have 13-14 months for elections, you are not realising that by getting four minutes of fame in the media, you are undermining your own character, position and compromising the position of the party..." he said.

The AICC General Secretary also expressed confidence that the deliberations at the meet will pave the way for Congress' victory in Karnataka in the times to come.

He also said that a state level war room will be set up to coordinate up to assembly election next year and 2024 Lok Sabha polls, making it a standing feature at the PCC.

The state President has set up six committees - economic affairs and price rise, social justice and empowerment, organisation, farmers and agriculture, youth-women-education and employment and political affairs and AICC programmes implementation - to deliberate at the meet.

KPCC chief Shivakumar said, "Individual is not important here, party is important, keeping it in mind, also the 2023 assembly polls and 2024 parliamentary polls, our aim should be to bring this party to power. Along with that we have to also keep in mind the Congress' ideology."

Assembly constituency, district, region and state specific manifestos will be prepared assuring to provide a pro development government, a government with a good governance, he said.

Shivakumar also asked delegates not to go to the media regarding deliberations at the meet, and warned of action in case of any violations.

The Shibira will also discuss implementing the Udaipur declaration, which proposes reforms that include "one family one ticket", 50 per cent reservation to those below 50 years of age at all levels of the organisation, "one person one post", among others.

Stressing on the need to strengthen the party from booth level to win the elections whether it is Assembly or Lok Sabha or BBMP of Zilla and Taluk Panchayat, Siddaramaiah said, "We will have to win the assembly elections that will come in April-May 2023, it is the challenge before us."

"Congress doesn't want to win just to come to power, but it is required for this state and its people to survive, BJP should be unseated from power," he said.