Dungarpur: A day after the Congress party's decision to counter the BJP.with a social and economic agenda at its three-day `Chintan Shivir`that concluded at Udaipur on Sunday, Rahul Gandhi along with Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot offered prayers at Valmiki temple in Dungarpur.


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Later, both the leader also offered prayers at Lord Shiva temple in Beneshwar Dham in Dungarpur. Rahul Gandhi offered prayers at these temples at  Dungarpur after attending the three-day `Chintan Shivir` wherein a hectic debate on the `Hindutva` took place.



The Congress came up with a social and economic agenda to counter the BJP after the party leaders, who deliberated over the issue, said that ideological differences with the BJP is core to the Congress politics and to fight for the people`s cause is the key takeaway from the brainstorming session.


Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi has announced two major mass contact programmes -- one is the agitational programme against inflation to restart from June 15 and the footmarch `Bharat Jodo`, which will start from October 2, said an IANS report.


"We will launch a national Kanyakumari to Kashmir Bharat Jodo Yatra from Gandhi Jayanti this year. All of us will participate in it. The Yatra is to strengthen the bonds of social harmony that are under stress, to preserve the foundational values of our Constitution that are under assault, and to highlight the day-to-day concerns of crores of our people," Gandhi is quoted as saying.


In the padyatra, it has been decided that Rahul Gandhi will hold the major foot march, and Sonia Gandhi will also be participating.


The Congress resolution also mentioned the fight for all sections of the society and particularly about the caste census, which is a big OBC push and the Congress leaders point that it may affect the BJP`s social engineering in many states, especially in the election-going states.


The party also decided to have a series of mass connect programmes in the run-up to the elections in 2024 and reach out to the people as Rahul Gandhi has reportedly pointed out.


"There is no shortcut to strengthening the relationship with the people, but by the Congress leaders and workers going out to them," Rahul Gandhi said on Sunday, advising the party members to look at external issues, instead of internal affairs.


In his concluding remarks on the last day of the Congress` three-day `Chintan Shivir`, Rahul Gandhi said, "We need to strengthen our relationship with the people as the Congress was born from the masses and we have been fighting for the people which is in our DNA."


1 Family, 1 Ticket accepted at Udaipur declaration


At the conclusion of the three-day Nav Sankalp Shivir, the Congress Working Committee adopted the Udaipur Declaration. Party`s General secretary Ajay Maken read out the following declarations. In the declaration, the Congress party has decided to set up three new departments -- public insight, election management and national training. 


(i) `Public Insight Department`, so that the Congress leadership can get "rational feedback" for knowing the views of the public on different subjects and for policymaking. 
(ii) Establishment of a `National Training Institute`, so that the party`s leaders and workers can get comprehensive training on the policies, ideology, vision, policies of the government and current burning issues. This national training institute can be started by `Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Development Studies` in Kerala. 


(iii) "Election Management Department" should be constituted at the level of All India Congress Committee, so that every election preparation is done effectively and expected results are obtained." 


Under the General Secretary (Organization) of the Indian National Congress, the work of the office-bearers of the All India Congress Committee, State Congress Committee, District Congress Committee will also be evaluated, so that the office-bearers doing the best work get a chance to move forward and the inactive office bearers can be retrenched, the declaration mentioned. Secondly, the Congress party has decided to provide 50 per cent representation to those below 50 years of age at all levels of organisation, as per the declaration. 


In a landmark decision, the declaration mentioned that "no person should hold one party position for more than five years to give an opportunity to new people. Further, the Congress party will enforce `1 person, 1 post`, `1 family, 1 ticket` rules with riders and ticket for second family member only after 5 years of party work. 


"Many ideas arose about the continuation of the same person in the party for a long time. It is in the interest of the organization that no person should hold a post for more than five years so that newcomers can get a chance. Not only this, according to the age group and changing nature of current India, it is necessary that 50 percent of the office bearers of Congress Working Committee, National Office-bearers, State, District, Block and Divisional office bearers should be less than 50 years of age." 


"There should also be a reflection of social reality in the units of national, state, district, block and Mandal organizations, i.e. Dalits, tribals, backward, minorities and women should get equitable representation. The principle of "one person, one position" should be implemented in the organization," the declaration added.


"Similarly, the rule of "one family, one ticket" should also apply. If another member in one`s family is politically active, then only after five years of organizational experience that person should be considered eligible for the Congress ticket, the declaration said. 


(With Inputs from Agencies)