‘This is against Congress rules’: Why Bihar Congress’s digital outreach sparks discontent

Seven months after the Congress suffered a debacle in the Bihar Assembly elections, trouble is brewing within the state party unit over its digital outreach campaign, with several senior leaders questioning both the process and outcome of the initiative.

Led by Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) president Rajesh Ram, the state Congress launched the Srijan Saathi Jansampark programme on April 11 with the avowed objective to strengthen the organisation and establish a “transparent and robust digital system” that would link organisational positions with grassroots work and active participation.

In a letter issued the same day, Ram laid down targets that aspiring office-bearers must meet to be considered for various organisational posts at the state and district levels.

Under the programme, Congress aspirants are required to enrol party supporters as “srijan saathis” by collecting Rs 50 from each of them — significantly higher than the party’s Rs 10 membership fee. Appointments in the state unit are supposed to be based on the number of such supporters enrolled by various aspirants.

The digital campaign, monitored through a mobile application, seeks to connect the Congress leadership with grassroots workers and the public across the state. Existing Congress members as well as non-members can enrol as “srijan saathis” after paying Rs 50 and registering through the app.

Defending the Rs 50 fee, Ram told The Indian Express that the exercise was “not a membership drive” but a mechanism to assess the level of support enjoyed by aspiring party leaders.

Critics within the party, however, allege that the programme effectively makes financial capacity a key criterion for organisational appointments.

According to Ram’s letter, a leader would be recommended for the post of Bihar Congress vice-president upon enrolling 3,000 “srijan saathis”, 2,000 for general secretary, 1,000 for secretary, and 200 for a district-level office-bearer’s post.

Several senior state Congress leaders argue that the initiative runs contrary to the ideological position articulated by the party and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. “On one hand, Gandhi talks about running the party on ideology. On the other, the Bihar Congress is witnessing what appears to be the sale of organisational posts,” a senior Congress leader said.

“Anyone with enough money can enrol 2,000-3,000 people and stake claim to a senior position. If someone spends Rs 1.5 lakh to enrol 3,000 people and submits the list, they become eligible for recommendation as vice-president without any other checks and balances,” the leader added.

Sources said the offices of Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge have been apprised of the row. A senior party MP has taken up the issue of “high fee for srijan saathis” with Kharge, who is learnt to have expressed surprise and said he would look into the matter.

“People who joined the party only recently are getting senior organisational posts because they can spend money, while those who have worked for years are being overlooked,” another Congress leader said.

Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP from Bihar’s Katihar, Tariq Anwar, told The Indian Express that he was opposed to the programme, saying it “violated” the party rules. “I am against this programme. In the name of organisational restructuring, undeserving people are being encouraged. This is akin to distributing posts on the basis of how many members someone can enrol,” Anwar said, adding no senior leaders in the Bihar Congress were consulted before the programme was launched “unilaterally”.

Asked about the Rs 50 fee, Anwar said: “This is completely wrong and against party rules.”

Responding to such criticism, Ram said the initiative was a “pilot project approved by the AICC leadership”. “This is not a membership drive. It is an organisational reform. If someone wants to become a general secretary, 2,000 people endorse that person by paying Rs 50 and completing the digital process on the Bihar Congress mobile application. It helps us assess the support a candidate has. Earlier, there was no objective criterion for becoming an office-bearer. People had to lobby with leaders in Delhi or Patna. We have done away with that system,” he said.

Claiming that many people in the Bihar Congress were “unhappy” as they could no longer lobby for their supporters, Ram said, “This is not the sale of posts but an attempt to build a new leadership. It is a pilot project that has AICC approval and could eventually be replicated elsewhere. It also challenges the existing delegate-based system in Bihar Congress, which is why some leaders are opposing it.”