Rahul Gandhi introduces monthly monitoring system for AICC secretaries

Keen to streamline the working of party functionaries, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi has introduced a monthly monitoring system for all AICC secretaries ahead of next Lok Sabha polls and ensuing assembly elections in five states.

As per the new system, all AICC secretaries will have to submit details of the work being done under their jurisdictional areas in a performa to the Congress Vice President by the 10th day of every month.

According to an internal communication of the AICC, the secretaries are supposed to give details of the results and outcomes achieved in their role point wise and the processes used to achieve the same.

In the brief write up, the AICC secretaries will have to mention the states and the areas including the number of District Congress Committees (DCCs) and Block Congress Committees (BCCs) assigned to them.

Gandhi's focus on implementing the rules came amid complaints that performance was being ignored in the party and that the organisation was not given importance by those in the government.

The new performa asks the AICC secretaries to specify the number of DCCs in which the DCC and its BCCs have held regular meetings, the percentage of DCCs in which the DCC and all its BCCs have held the monthly meeting, the count and percentage of DCCs and BCCs in which monthly meetings have taken place and the number of DCCs and BCCs meetings a particular AICC secretary has attended, sources say.

In the latest communication to the AICC secretaries on September 14, the party has asked them to provide details of the districts in which all the BCCs and DCCs have held monthly meetings in August.

Since the performa has been introduced from this month, they have been asked to furnish the details by September 20.

After becoming Vice President, Gandhi had held elaborate discussions with party general secretaries and secretaries seeking to understand problems in the functioning of the party.

Gandhi, who has been laying stress on following a work system in the party, has since then introduced a number of such measures on the line of what is prevalent in top professional and management institutions.

His style of functioning has also been criticised in some quarters as impractical but the Congress Vice President has been persistent in his efforts to change the functioning of the party through the new processes.

"Talent is abundant in the party. If we could streamline the communication and coordination in the party, it will be great," Gandhi had told party office–bearers in a meeting in February.

The meeting had then also seen a demand for clear allocation of work to AICC secretaries with some complaining that they have not been given any important task even after being on the post for two years.

The AICC had since then been reshuffled and Gandhi has introduced measures to redress the problems of absence of coordinated approach between states and central leaders at the AICC.

He had been stressing that both AICC general secretaries and secretaries should visit districts more often and secretaries being younger should do it more often.The party’s new perfoma is in line with Gandhi’s views.