New Delhi, Apr 11 (IANS): The Congress has called a meeting of the party general secretaries and state in-charges on Tuesday to discuss the issue of membership drive and proposed 'Chintan Shivir' on the poll debacle in five states.
The Congress working committee has decided to organise a brainstorming session to derive a forward path for the party which has been facing defeat since the 2014 general elections.
The Chintan Shivir has been necessitated since the dissidents have been raising voices against the present functioning of the party, particularly the G-23 have been up against Rahul Gandhi and his team, even as party's interim chief Sonia Gandhi has been holding meetings with the dissidents to cull internal rift.
Sonia Gandhi on April 5 while addressing the parliamentary party had said that the revival of the party was essential for democracy and the results of elections were "shocking" and "painful".
In her address, she had said, "Our dedication and determination, our spirit of resilience is under severe test. Unity at all levels of our vast organisation is of paramount importance and speaking for myself, I am determined to do whatever is needed to ensure it. Our revival is not just a matter of importance to us alone...it is, in fact, essential for our democracy itself and indeed for our society as well.
"I am very well aware how disappointed you are at the recent election results. They have been both shocking and painful. The Congress working committee (CWC) has met once to review our performance. I have met with other colleagues too. I have received many suggestions on how to strengthen our organisation. Many are pertinent and I am working on them."
She said that it was important to put forth a roadmap and for that a 'Shivir (meeting)' should be held.
"That is where the views of a larger number of colleagues and party representatives will be heard. They will contribute to put forward a clear roadmap on the urgent steps to be taken by our party on how best to meet the challenges we are confronted with," she said.
She also said the road ahead was more challenging than ever before.