Javed Ansari

New Delhi: It is no secret that Rahul Gandhi wants India’s grand old party, the Congress, to modernise and reorient in keeping with the times.

While the timing of the restructuring will have to be Sonia Gandhi’s call, Rahul, as the AICC general secretary in charge of the party’s two frontal organisations, the Youth Congress and the NSUI, has begun streamlining the youth outfits. And, he is willing to take help from the corporate sector.

“He has no qualms about seeking help or incorporating ideas from outside,” says a Youth Congress leader.

Last week, Rahul invited professor Jairam of Infosys to speak at a meeting-cumworkshop on ‘Leadership and team-building’. Present at the meeting were the president and general secretaries of the Youth Congress and the NSUI, as well as the AICC secretaries attached to Rahul.

This is not the first time that Rahul has tried to reach out to people outside politics to help him in his attempt to reorganise and mordernise the Congress’ youth organisations.

On an earlier occasion, he had sought the assistance of Sam Pitroda.

The MP from Amethi has also been encouraging his team to study the functioning of organisations in the corporate sector to incorporate whatever is feasible in the party.

Ever since he took charge, Rahul has been laying great stress on the fact that the party needs to attract fresh talent and groom new leaders. Both the Youth Congress and the NSUI have gone thorough an elaborate process of spotting potential leaders within. Rahul has set up a high-powered talentspotting committee comprising former Youth Congress chiefs, including I&B minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, Ajay Maken, Anand Sharma and Mukul Wasnik.

The committee interviewed over 100 candidates and shortlisted about two dozen. These were later made to undergo a written test designed to checking their ability to think on their feet, awareness levels, etc, and finally interviewed by Rahul himself.

“Rahul is very clear about what he wants and he is going about it methodically,” says a member of his team.

Rahul has been stressing the need to change the present system of enrollment of new members in the party and is trying to make the system more transparent and accessible. Computerised forms are readily available and in the case of the Youth Congress, youngsters desirous of applying for membership can do so via an SMS also.

“He wants us to be innovative in our thinking and to come up with ideas that will appeal to today’s youth,” says a Youth Congress officebearer.

Rahul has been trying to impress upon his team members the need for the organisation to cast its net as wide as possible and to give people from diverse backgrounds a share in the decision-making process of the party.

His staff has begun to maintain a fact file of the various youth leaders who have impressed him during his recent tours and these youngsters are being considered for suitable placements in the organisation.

Source : DNA