Congress Working Committee to Meet on Student and Youth Issues, Strategy for Assembly Elections

The Congress Working Committee (CWC) will meet on Wednesday to take stock of the political situation and chart the party’s strategy on student and youth issues, Ram temple donation ‘theft’ as well as the upcoming Assembly elections. The meeting will be held at 3 pm at Indira Bhawan and will be chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. Former party president Rahul Gandhi and general secretaries Jairam Ramesh and K C Venugopal are among the senior leaders expected to attend. The meeting assumes significance as the Congress believes the agitation by students over examination irregularities, paper leaks and related issues has emerged as a major political issue and needs to be pursued beyond Parliament. The party was at the forefront of the Opposition protests during the Monsoon Session over the alleged police action against protesting students and repeatedly demanded accountability from the government. Sources said the CWC is expected to deliberate on how the campaign on youth and student issues should be taken forward, with LoP Rahul Gandhi stepping up his direct outreach to students. Gandhi will hold the next edition of his ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme in Pune on August 22, with the focus particularly on women students. The party will also deliberate on the just-concluded Monsoon Session, said the sources. Congress leaders feel the Opposition managed to keep the government under pressure by holding firm on its demand for a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the alleged police action against protesting students.