Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has favored term limits for state party presidents and called for the Congress to be revived and re-energized to take on the BJP in the 2024 general elections.
Denying rumors that he might opt out of the presidential race due to low support, Tharoor said he was very much in the fray and has been receiving support from various quarters.
“My message is to revive the party, revive it, empower the workers, decentralize authority and be in touch with the people. This, I believe, will make the Congress politically fit to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP in the 2024 general elections.” Tharoor said during his interaction with the media at Sathyamurthy Bhavan, the state headquarters of the Congress, on Thursday.
Asserting that he has respect and high regard for party veteran Mallikarjun Kharge, Tharoor said the contest was friendly based on different approaches to take on the BJP and not ideological as both were from the same party.
“We need to reform the way our party functions. We need to bring the youth closer to the party and give them real authority. At the same time, we should respect hardworking and long-term karyakartas more,” he said in his poll. manifest
Decentralization of powers, strengthening of the party at booth level, utilization of general secretaries for nation building activities while rendering their services as state officials and reliance on state presidents giving- the free hand in decision-making, in addition to limiting their mandate, are among the 10 points highlighted in the manifesto.
“We must reiterate the basic convictions of the Congress. We are the party of inclusive India, a party that believes in equal rights and is against oppression. This is the idea for which we have stood and fought and to reiterate it,” he said. .
If he is elected president, he has pledged to reactivate certain institutions such as the board of Parliament.
The manifesto focuses on the need for the Congress to return to the ethos of social work, Tharoor added.
“The party is not a machine to fight elections once in five years, but it should coexist and serve the people… We have to connect with the people and work with them,” said the Thiruvananthapuram MP.
Popular connect with people is critical and this was illustrated by party leader Rahul Gandhi’s successful Bharat Jodo Yatra, he said.
Tharoor also said that he was getting a lot of feedback from the common party workers, especially the youth.
He said that it was very gratifying for him that the youth who are the future and also the majority of our country, supported him in the polls. Those aged 35 and under represent 65% of our population. “It is their country, this is a young India,” he said.
“I want Congress to be the party of young India. I want to represent the aspirations, dreams and hopes of young India, as (former prime minister) Rajiv Gandhi tried to do 40 years ago and succeeded in his initiation into telecom and IT. revolution. We also need to move forward now to take advantage of the opportunity that young India has. I am very happy to have the support of the youth,” he said.
To a question, Tharoor replied that the party has a successful alliance with the DMK in Tamil Nadu and enjoys good ties with the state government.
