With the Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan, a statewide initiative aimed at rebuilding the party from the ground up, the Congress is trying its most ambitious organizational reform in years.
The initiative's main goal is to modernize the organization and make it more cadre-driven by creating a centralized digital database of members and office-bearers.
However, the campaign's trial experiment in Bihar has become the focal point of a bitter internal conflict even before it became global.
A number of senior leaders in the party are criticizing the Bihar unit's digital membership drive, which is being hailed as a model that could eventually be implemented nationwide. They claim that the new system essentially permits organizational posts to be obtained through money rather than merit.
THE BIHAR PILOT PROJECT
The Bihar Congress launched a digital membership drive in April under the name "Sangathan Srijan Sathi," with each membership costing Rs 50.
Party leaders claim that the process is around 70% finished and that over three lakh people have already signed up. By the end of July, the campaign is anticipated to be over.
Only a special mobile application created for the Bihar Congress is used for membership. A voter ID card and a selfie must be uploaded by each application for verification, and each registered cellphone number may enroll up to four people.
FROM MEMBERSHIP TO LEADERSHIP
In contrast to earlier organizational efforts, the Bihar model makes a clear connection between party post eligibility and membership mobilization.
A party worker must enlist 3,000 members to be eligible for the position of Vice President under the new structure, 2,000 members to be eligible for the position of General Secretary, 1,000 members to be eligible for the position of Secretary, and 200 members to obtain an organizational position at the Prakhand level.
According to the Congress leadership, the criteria are intended to make nominations performance-based, rewarding individuals who increase the party's grassroots base as opposed to those who rely on personal ties or lobbying.
The model's proponents contend that the system rewards individuals who can increase the party's base by substituting quantifiable organizational labor for lobbying and patronage.
MONEY-SEEKING POSTS?
The main point of contention is now the same formula.
The initiative has drawn opposition from a number of seasoned leaders and dissidents, some of whom have reportedly asked workers in their constituencies not to take part.
The Congress high leadership in Delhi has also received complaints. Critics claim that candidates are compelled to spend a lot of money on member enrollment in order to stay competitive for organizational positions.
"Anyone can now purchase party designations for about Rs 1.5 lakh. The position of district president is open to anyone. That's what's taking place. Positions in Gandhi ji's party appear to be for sale. A party leader told India Today TV, "You can purchase memberships and become leaders."
DISSENSIONS DIGITAL
More and more of the uprising has taken place in public.
On social media, a number of Congress politicians have criticized the initiative, claiming that organizational reforms are being used for financial gain.
Targeting state president Rajesh Ram and Bihar Congress chief Krishna Allavaru, posters and WhatsApp messages have also gone viral.
According to a senior source, the approach might make it possible for those who have no ideological affiliation with the Congress—including purported BJP supporters—to join the group by simply purchasing memberships.
"It's not just employees. This drive is opposed by several senior officials who claim it is a joke. For the purpose of posting, fake members are being made. The leader asserted that "people who have never been associated with the Congress ideology can enter the organization simply by purchasing memberships."
A disappointed Congress leader who recently ran in the Assembly elections claimed that if one wants to maintain power inside the party, the current structure essentially forces them to pay for memberships.
"I had to pay for memberships at every level, from Prakhand to Secretary and Vice President, if I wanted my own team. If not, someone else would take over as district president, forcing me to report to someone I didn't want."
One of the most outspoken detractors, former Congress politician Anand Madhab, even posted a caricature on Facebook that purportedly showed Rajesh Ram and Allavaru selling party posts.This is the Gandhi and Nehru party, and you're attempting to profit off underprivileged laborers. What happens to people who have adhered to the Congress doctrine for many years but are unable to purchase a position? Eventually, only those with financial clout will remain in the organization," he stated.
DISPROVING ALLEGATIONS
Rajesh Ram, the president of the Bihar Congress, refuted the accusations and defended the move, calling it the state unit's biggest organizational reorganization in years.The entire state unit is being redesigned for the first time in a long time. New faces are appearing, and fresh blood is being infused. Some people will inevitably be miserable if they work," he stated.
According to Ram, the campaign has received positive feedback, with 36% of new members coming from OBC communities, 17% from EBC communities, and 3% from tribal communities.
He reaffirmed that Bihar was acting as a test experiment for a potential statewide rollout and insisted that Rahul Gandhi fully supports the initiative.
Ram claims that the new system eliminates the need for grassroots workers to constantly lobby elite Delhi officials in order to provide them with a practical route to leadership.
Additionally, he stated that a special control center has been set up at Sadaqat Ashram to oversee the campaign, and that each digital registration is verified before being added to the party's database.
"A new leadership has been established. Opportunities are being given to new people. Young people make up about 40% of the members, and they have already started training. We'll map out the party's political schedule once the entire organizational team is assembled," he stated.
According to sources, dissatisfied politicians have been loitering in Delhi and have even attempted to contact the Congress high command, claiming that the Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan's initial vision has been twisted.
They contend that the digital membership exercise has made the Congress a target of mockery among its electoral competitors in Bihar rather than strengthening the organization.
The Congress may be able to take advantage of the RJD's diminishing opposition space in Bihar's shifting political scene, where the BJP continues to be the dominating force.
But everything hinges on the Congress's ability to take charge of its own affairs and become a powerful force instead of continuing to play supporting role.
