Soon, give a missed call to become a Congress member

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 10

After the BJP used missed calls to boost its national membership, the opposition Congress too on Wednesday announced plans to launch a missed call membership drive plan soon.

The grand old party, struggling with new memberships, will unveil the toll-free number on November 12, the day when it will also launch the logo of a public awareness campaign on inflation the party has planned between November 14 and 29.

“The AICC shall be issuing a toll-free number on November 12, on which the participants of the Jan Jagran Abhiyan and those supporting it can register themselves through a missed call. Also, the Congress membership drive is commencing from November 1. We expect all to register themselves as Congress members too. Those who are participating in this abhiyan will get an opportunity to become the member of the Congress Party also,” Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said today, announcing the 515-day Jan Jagran Abhiyan in which party leaders will need to undertake foot marches on seven days to connect to the masses.

Chairman of the Congress’ newly formed agitation plan committee and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh today said, “The party felt that common people are not associating with its campaigns the way they should. Our programmes are attended mostly by Congress workers. That is why Congress president formed a committee for sustained agitations. For this we need trainers. A four-day training programme will be held at Wardha from November 12 to 15 and exclusively for the Jan Jagran Abhiyan on November 14,” Digvijay said.

The veteran made it clear that the plan would require Congress leaders to engage people in intimate discussions and there would be no public meetings.

“Congress leaders should hold pad yatras on seven days of the programme and spend the night at the place where they are marching,” Singh said.

The Congress confirmed the participation of Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Vadra in the programme but did not say where they would be.

The programme will be held across India, with several Congress workers to be trained on “how to connect to the masses on the economic challenges the country is facing.”

“Those who are trained will need to the message of inflation to the people. We have prepared a pamphlet where people will be asked to answer questions,” Singh said, as the Congress gears to energise cadres ahead of the membership drive which will last from November 1 to March 31 next. The membership will be followed by the Congress organisational polls.

Asked why, like the RSS, the Congress had decided to hold “prabhat pheris” between 6 and 7 AM daily during the agitation, Digvijay Singh quipped, “For God’s sake, don’t compare the two.”

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