Cong wants youth wing to create a buzz via rallies

BENGALURU: The Congress high command is not happy with the style of functioning of the Youth Congress in the state. All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K C Venugopal on Tuesday rapped its leaders for their “insipid performance in countering Prime Minister Modi and the opposition BJP in the state.”

According to party sources, Venugopal took them to task for failing to organise any big protests or rallies that can draw state-wide attention to the alleged failures of the Modi government and the “much-maligned state BJP leaders.”

“A few youth Congress workers staging protests just for photo-ops is not enough. Most of your protests are confined to Bengaluru. The protests should rock the entire state and people should be made to realise the hollow promises of Modi and the corrupt track record of state BJP leaders,” Venugopal is said to have told them.

The instruction has come in the wake of Amit Shah’s reported directives to BJP Yuva Morcha during his recent visit to the city to scale up the intensity of their agitation to the extent that it draws police action like lathicharge and firing of teargas shells.

Venugopal reportedly instructed the party’s youth wing members to padayatras on December 28, the Congress Foundation Day, in all the districts against the Modi government. He also instructed NSUI leaders to launch bicycle rallies to create awareness about the ruling Congress government’s achievements.

Change in Yatra plans

While Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is set to hit the road with his tour of all districts from December 13, the ‘Janasheervada Yatra’ which was earlier announced by the CM to start from December 15, has been postponed to March 1.  The change in Yatra plans is being seen as a result of the differences between Siddaramaiah and KPCC president G Parameshwara as the CM had announced his own government yatra starting from December 13 that would not involve party president G Parameshwara. Venugopal denied any rift between Siddaramaiah and Parameshwara, “Minor issues will be there in all parties and it would be wrong to project it as a rift between the two leaders,” he said. Parameshwara and other party leaders will not be part of the development-oriented Yatra as it is a government programme, Venugopal said, adding all the leaders, including the CM, will participate in Janasheervada Yatra.