Congress to hold pro-farmer march in Bengaluru on January 20

HUBBALLI: Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar said the state unit of the party will hold a pro-farmer march from Freedom Park to Raj Bhavan on January 20.

Speaking after inaugurating 'Sankalpa Samavesh' of the Belagavi division here on Monday, Shivakumar said the march has been planned following the directions of the AICC to express solidarity with the farmers who are protesting against the new farm laws brought by the central government and also to highlight other problems being faced by the farming community.

In order to make the event successful, he asked the block and district level presidents to bring party workers and farmers in at least five buses from their respective areas. It would be the first step towards rebuilding the party at the grassroot level, he added.

As 2021 has already been declared a period of agitation and strengthening the organisation, enough actions are being taken to convert the Congress into a cadre-based party, the KPCC chief said and added that the prevailing political situation in the nation as well as the state has forced the party to bring changes in the organisational structure.

'Digital youth' at booth level

Stating that booth level committees would be constituted and the onus would be on local leaders to build the organisation, Shivakumar said in order to make workers conversant with new age media, a 'digital youth' would be appointed at booths. The training modules have already been finalised and once the committees are constituted, the workers would be trained.

Henceforth, he said tickets for taluk panchayat, zilla panchayat and corporation elections would be distributed by inviting applications. Details of the applicants would be discussed with the district committee before finalising their names, he said, adding that the procedures would be changed to bring more transparency.

Shivakumar talked tough on the discipline of the party and warned of strict action if anybody speaks out of turn and asked the leaders to be more loyal to the party than any person. Whoever they may be, they should work within the framework of party discipline, he said, adding that if anybody does not agree, they are free to leave the party.