Raipur, Feb 24, 2023, IANS

Raipur, Feb 24 (IANS): The Congress on Friday announced that it will amend its Constitution to give proper representation to SCs, STs, OBCs, minorities, women, and those below 50 years in the Congress Working Committee - the party's top decision-making body.

In one of the proposals as made at the Udaipur 'Chintan Shivir' in May last year, the party will make these provisions by amending 26 articles and 32 rules.

If the proposed amendments are passed in the plenary, then former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi will become lifelong CWC members, along with former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

General Secretary, in charge of communication, Jairam Ramesh said that the most important proposal is to provide 50 per cent reservations in the Working Committee for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs, Minorities, women and youth.

There is also a proposal to increase the strength of the CWC, which is 25 right now including party's floor leaders in Parliament and the party president.

The Congress Steering Committee, on Friday morning, decided unanimously to empower the party President to nominate members to the CWC.

"We had a 2-1/2 hour discussion on this issue and the dominant view, overwhelming view was keeping in mind the political challenges facing the country, facing the Congress Party in its capacity as the main opposition and keeping in mind the far-reaching amendments that we are going to bring about tomorrow and day after in our party's constitution, 16 Articles are being amended, 32 rules are being amended.

"Keeping in mind, both these factors, the unanimous view of the Steering Committee was that this is the time to empower the Congress President to nominate members to the Congress Working Committee," Ramesh added.

However, sources said that Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Digvijaya Singh and Ajay Maken advocated elections to the CWC elections but eventually aligned with the majority view. The members of G-23 and their sympathisers of the grouping did not speak in favour of the elections, sources said.

Cong decides not to hold elections to CWC:

The steering committee of the Congress on Friday decided not to hold elections to the CWC, and the party president was authorised to constitute it.

The Congress has said that about 45 leaders spoke on the Congress Working Committee (CWC) election issue, and the consensus was taken.

Party's General Secretary in-charge Communications, Jairam Ramesh said, "Unanimous decision was taken to authorise Congress president to constitute the new CWC."

The Congress is holding its 85th plenary session in Raipur.

Concrete proposal on alliance to come up in Congress plenary:

Amid talks for alliance in the run-up to next year's general elections, the Congress said on Friday that there will be a concrete proposal on this issue during the 85th plenary session of the party, which began here on Friday under the leadership of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge.

Addressing a press conference here, Congress' Media and Publicity Chairman Pawan Khera said, "The issue will be discussed in the plenary session and we will come up with a concrete proposal on alliance."

The grand old party is trying to strike a balance between the political parties which are opposed to the idea of Congress leading the alliance.

Predicting that BJP will not achieve majority in the next Lok Sabha polls, Kharge said: "The Congress will get the majority... We will follow the Constitution and we will follow democracy."

The Congress is likely to set up an alliance committee to reach out to the other opposition parties, and this could be discussed during the party's plenary session.

Sources said that Congress wants to build a national alliance, but with the precondition of leading it.

There are many like-minded parties which have no problems with Congress leading the alliance, but the top leaders of parties like Bharat Rashtra Samithi, Trinamool Congress and Aam Aadmi Party are taking a different line.