Congress CWC meet: Strategy on paper leaks, 'chanda chori', Vande Mataram announced

The Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party's highest decision-making body, met on Wednesday and mapped out its political strategy on a range of issues, including paper leaks, the Ram Temple donations controversy, and the Vande Mataram centenary. The meeting, chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at Indira Bhawan, was attended by 88 leaders, including former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and several chief ministers.

One of the key decisions was to expand the party's 'Chhatron ki Goonj' campaign against paper leaks and issues in the education and examination system. Party general secretary KC Venugopal said the campaign would see gatherings across 800 cities, with Rahul Gandhi expected to lead some of them. Kharge also asked Congress chief ministers to consult education experts and prepare a roadmap for overhauling the education and examination system.

On the controversy over donations collected for the Ram Temple, the party decided to take the issue to the grassroots. Pradesh Congress Committees have been directed to raise the issue at the village and panchayat levels. Venugopal said the issue is connected to people's sentiments and that those who used the Ram Mandir for polarisation now stand exposed.

The CWC also demanded an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the 'shuddhikaran' carried out in Uttarakhand following Kharge's visit there. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh raised the issue during the press conference after the meeting.

The centenary celebrations of Vande Mataram were also discussed, adding a cultural and national theme to the meeting. The party's strategy discussions included this as part of its broader political outreach.

On the India-China border situation, the CWC discussed the alleged Chinese incursion in Arunachal Pradesh. Venugopal said the Congress accused the government of following a 'surrender policy' on the matter. The party also reiterated its demand that women's reservation be implemented based on the current strength of 543 Lok Sabha seats.

Venugopal noted that the Monsoon Session of Parliament was successful for the Opposition and that the government was on the back foot, according to the party's assessment. He said the CWC is focused on three or four key issues, with paper leaks being a primary concern.

The meeting was attended by senior leaders including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh, KC Venugopal, Ambika Soni, Mukul Wasnik, and P Chidambaram. Congress chief ministers A Revanth Reddy, VD Satheesan, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, and DK Shivakumar also attended the meeting.