New Delhi: In a move indicating closer scrutiny of mid-level functionaries, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, held a meeting with Congress secretaries on Tuesday to understand their current roles and the problems they face, ahead of a likely reshuffle that may give them greater responsibilities, sources said.
Some of the secretaries who attended the session said the former Congress president was particularly interested in evaluating how effectively they were performing and how committed they remained to party work.
Reshuffle To Focus On 56 Secretaries
The review follows a round of interviews conducted by Rahul Gandhi last month for potential secretary appointments, part of a broader effort to restructure the party organisation. General secretaries KC Venugopal and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also joined the meeting, as reported by Hindustan Times.
Although changes have already been made among certain general secretaries and in-charges, the next stage of the overhaul is expected to cover the 56 secretaries who report to them, according to people familiar with the developments.
Field Presence, Defined Roles Stressed
During the interaction, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi asked the secretaries how long they were staying in their assigned states. Rahul instructed them to ensure they spend at least 15 days in their respective states, urging them to focus on travelling and interacting with people instead of working primarily from Delhi.
“There was an indication that Rahul, Priyanka and Venugopal are keen to define roles and responsibilities. They asked a number of questions related to this topic,” said a secretary overseeing work in a north Indian state.
Several secretaries also pointed to a lack of clear opportunities within the current setup. “At least four leaders mentioned the need to define roles in poll-bound states and in states where elections are not due in the near term,” a second secretary said.
In a separate discussion, some leaders pointed out that during the Sangathan Srijan organisational drive, state observers and in-charges took the lead in forming district committees, while secretaries were largely left out of the process, describing the setup as one dominated by in-charges.
However, a leader believed to be close to Rahul Gandhi denied these claims, indicating that the party is working to clarify responsibilities across levels.