Have a vision to decentralise Congress, reimagine role of AICC headquarters: Shashi Tharoor

Tribune News Service

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, September 30

Former UN diplomat Shashi Tharoor on Friday said he had a vision to reimagine the role of AICC headquarters, decentralise the organisation and bring greater and sharper focus on the youth, who make up the majority of India today.

Speaking to the press after filing his nomination for the election of Congress president, Tharoor said his six nomination forms, signed by 60 Pradesh Congress Committee delegates, represented the sentiment of workers from Kashmir to Kerala, Punjab to Nagaland, Bihar, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand.

Tharoor filed his nominations after paying tributes to late PM Rajiv Gandhi whom he described as the man who built the bridge that took India to the 21st century.

All set to travel across states for campaigning, Tharoor said he would be sending a manifesto to all 9,100 PCC delegates, who are voters in the top party post’s election, about where he wishes to take the party.

"Our vision explains how we hope to rejuvenate the organisation, decentralise it, reimagine the role of AICC headquarters, reiterate the core Congress ideology, broaden participation, reinvigorate election management, focus on the youth that are a majority, a bigger role for women, reaching out to industry and professionals who we need and finally return to social work rather than just be seen as an election machine," said Tharoor adding that his voice was not the voice of one person alone but of many.

Faced by veteran Mallikarjun Kharge, 80, whose forms have been proposed by Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, former Madhya Pradesh CM Digvijaya Singh, former Haryana CM Bhupinder Hooda among others giving the signal that he enjoys the backing of the Gandhis, Tharoor looked confident and said he was not daunted by his rival.

"This election is about young people and India and the future of India. Ours is the natural party to build what Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi said and to lead us into a brighter future. I am guided by crores of workers who have taken party through good times and bad and who are once again hoping for renewed vigour and dynamism. This is what I want to bring through my campaign," said Tharoor, 66.

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