4th National Convention: Resolution on Organisational Matters

New Delhi, 20th December 2009

We are attending the Fourth National Convention of the Nationalist Congress Party as the culmination of the democratic process of party organizational elections, we had started from the local unit level in the first week of November 2009 after the closing of the membership campaign, we had been carrying on since the last June 10th, the eleventh Foundation Day of the party.

We have completed ten glorious years of our existence. The people of our country had come forward to welcome this party ever since it has formed. This was reflected in the massive support of the electorate we got as revealed by the results of the general elections the party contested on our own strength soon after the formation of the party in June 1999, assessing the performance of which the Election Commission of India conferred on the party the status of recognized National Party and which status we continue even today.

We are glad to note that the party has recorded tremendous growth in the last three years after the Third National Convention in Dehradun, the credit of which goes to the strenuous efforts our party workers have made in this regard.  This National Convention congratulates everybody who have joined our efforts for the growth we have attained.

The national goals of equality for all, equality - political, economic and social equality that the party upholds, the democratic functioning and decision making system of the party, the pro people policies of the party and overall the towering personality of the party President Shri Sharad Pawar are outstanding attractions for more and more intellectuals and leaders joining the party and extending their support to the party.

But we have not been able to fully utilize them and convert the popular support we have into means of expanding our base.  This has been to some extent to the lack of experience and training of our party cadres in organizational technics.

The performance of the Agriculture Ministry after Shri Sharad Pawar’s taking over as Minister has worked wonders in the agriculture sector.  He had taken charge at a time when thousands of farmers were driven to suicide and many more had abandoned farming.

The various steps Pawar ji had taken for the upliftment of the farming community, making loans from banks for farming available at reduced rates of interest and on easy terms, the writing off of the accumulated debts of farmers worth of Rupees 72,600 crores, the steps taken for increasing production and productivity, the freedom given to them to sell their products to whomsoever they want to, the liberal enhancement of procurement price of grains and other products have all given the farmers a new lease of life. These measures made farming profitable and brought thousands of farming families who had deserted farming back to farming and these had enabled the agriculture sector to attain record production in food grains in the last year. These things if explained properly to the people would have endeared the farming community to the party that in turn would have attracted them into the party. Unfortunately it was not NCP but other coalition partners who took advantage of the achievements our President had made in the agriculture sector.

This has not been possible because we had not made any purposeful effort for propagating those achievements. This again exposes the lack of sufficient trained workers for organizational work at the grass root level for carrying on propaganda, for taking up public causes and leading them to agitational programmes and getting them involved in party activities and for keeping regular contacts with people all of which has stood in the way of faster growth of the party.

In the prevailing political scenario of the country, the country is passing through an undercurrent in favour of non divisive secular ideology, the communal forces like BJP and its allies has been losing their mass support, giving us an opportunity for expansion and strengthening our mass support.

At the expanse of decaying BJP, Other secular national parties are gaining momentum and rapidly filling the vacuum created by BJP and other regional parties. Therefore this is the high time when a secular force like us need to sail safe in the swaying wake of other parties.

After reviewing the achievements of the party during last ten years party has achieved a lot but at the same time we have to accept that we failed enormously at organizational front. The functioning and formation of party units upto block level, membership of frontal organizations, electoral performance of the party were not upto the mark of a national party except in few states.

We have ample opportunity to extend our base where ever and whenever serious and sustained efforts are being made as the situation is offering us opportunities for our advancement.

Therefore, on the basis of the assessment of situation and review of experiences, the immediate task before the party is to strengthen party’s organization up to grass root level to make most efficient use of the opportunities that comes in our way to achieve the desired results.

1. A comprehensive plan of action for expanding the base of the party and implementing the decisions of National Convention be drawn up. A national conclave may be organized early in the next year to formulate the action plan.

2. More stress should be given to build Frontal organisations and Party building. Work of the Party and Frontal organisations should be reoriented on the basis of Party documents prepared hereinafter this National Convention.

3. The review of the work of all frontal organisations should be completed within a period of two months. The NCWC should prepare a time table for this. Policy documents on student and youth fronts should be finalised within next three months.
4. To make more efforts for activising Party members and cadre in all states through regular training schedules.

5. While making plans, the electoral prospects in the state should be kept in mind to win more assembly and parliament seats in the coming elections.

6. A document on ideological and political issues should be prepared for discussion within one month time.

7. The NCWC should prepare an updated adaptation document inclusive of state issues for providing a fresh thrust to the modification campaign. For this, the NCWC should elicit information and review of the experience of modification through a questionnaire to the state committees.

8.(a) The Party should attract young cadre from states and districts and deploy them in areas where the Party is weak.

(b). Special attention should be given to select these cadres from women, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and minorities.

(c). Selection and promotion of cadre should be strictly on the basis of his/her political organisational capacity and performance.

(d). The state committees should make appropriate arrangements for these workers.

9. Frontal Organisations
The frontal organizations and cells fulfill the role of rousing the elementary consciousness of the sections which they organize and through it growingly link the backward masses with Party's activities. Without the development and expansion of the frontal organisations and new sections of people joining them, the Party’s growth is not possible.

i). Developing the independent functioning of the frontal organisations so that they may acquire a broad character and reach to new sections of the people.

ii) The basic work of the frontal organisations should be to take up the immediate problems and long-term issues affecting that section of the people they represent. Though progress has been registered overall in taking up the local and immediate issues, more emphasis and attention has to be paid to developing the local struggles and movements.

iii). The Presidents of the frontal organisations must review the performances of the lower units. The review document should point out the achievements, shortcomings and failures and also the future tasks in concrete terms.

iv). The Presidents of the frontal organizations must submit their monthly progress reports and review documents to the NCWC in-charge of frontal organisation and the President of the party in person. The President of the party should look into the reports and organize monthly review meeting with the Presidents of the frontal organization in person.
        
Nationalist Kisan Congress
The Nationalist Kisan Congress has committees in many states. But they have not been able to organize campaign among the farmers and the public on the achievements of the Agriculture Ministery during Hon’ble Pawar ji’s tenure or to organize any agitation on farmers’ problems so as to attract the attention of the ministry to provide remedy for them.
All these points to the scarcity of experienced or trained party workers or leaders working among the frontal organizations who are able to chalk out programmes to highlight issues connected with the sections they represent.
This goes to stress the importance of organizing training camps for the NKC leaders at national level as well as at state and lower levels.

Trade Union Cell
We have not organized a National Trade Unions of our own. The lack of having a Central Trade Union where the trade unions our leaders are running or organizing can be affiliated stands in the way of organizing more labour unions being formed in many sectors. Our trade union leaders have to think of how to get over this problem.
The trade union cell must include, on priority basis, the problems and issues pertaining to vast section of unorganized sector labour and safe guarding their interests.

Nationalist Youth Congress
The Nationalist Youth Congress has taken up two programmes in the last one year. They have organized a successful nationwide programme known as ‘Yuva Jagriti Abhiyan’ to create awareness against communalism and terrorism among the people.  They organized the programme in a dozen states.
The other constructive programme they have taken up is organizing a movement for the establishment of a National Youth Commission and a Youth Development Corporation meant for helping new young entrepreneurs for getting loans at reduced rate of interest for starting new enterprises with a view to encourage self employment projects.
But NYC which is supposed to be the fighting wing of the party have not been able to take up any agitational programme connected with the problems of the youth and the general public. 
The NYC must bring in more and more youths specially the rural youths into the party folk while taking up the local issues. The rural youths must be encouraged to take participation in Panchayati Raj institutions to make them aware of local self governance which in turn may expand the party’s mass base deep down to village level committees. Programmes and scheme related to economic empowerment of youth must be inculcated in the organizations agenda. National schemes like Pykka and SGSY should be monitored closely so that more and more youth may get attached and attracted towards the party.  

All India Nationalist Student Congress
The Nationalist Students Congress has not been able to have any impact on the student community. In an era when drastic changes are coming over in the educational field, NSC could not take up any of their causes and get the students involved in them.

In the light of Lingdoh Committee report to put limitations on student movement, the role of Student’s organisation has shrunken up. The NSC must incorporate new ways and means to revive the students’ movement throughout the country. A campaign for equal opportunity for quality education to all sections of the society with due social justice must be started from the block level to the national level. Matters pertaining to general wellbeing of common students such as; education loan, Foreign University Regulation Act must be included in their mass action.

Nationalist Congress Sewa Dal
Nationalist Congress Sewa Dal can be instrumental in combating nefarious designs of RSS and in countering allegations countered against the party leaders in the government and anti party propaganda along with raising social issues at local level. Sewa Dal activists should make people aware of their entitlements, and should help main wing leadership in organizing the general masses for effectively demand and receive of these entitlements through regular mass movements. A comprehensive training programme should be launched to train and revolutionized Nationalist Congress Sewa Dal units.

Nationalist Mahila Congress
Nationalist Mahila Congress, though they have committees at national level and in most of the states, still they have not been able to take up the cause of women, organize any agitation against increasing atrocities on women or for the rights of the women for equal wages or for due representation for women in the state assemblies and parliament.

NMC must bring in new projects, campaign and movements in favour of economic, social and political empowerment by organizing Self Help Groups of the women folk at the block level and should facilitate more and more women to take part in local self governance as well as campaign against women atrocities and organizing movements on political issues pertaining to their class.

10. Cells & Department
All the Cells must take the advantage of Central Government’s schemes and projects to extend the reach of the party and enhance its image among their concerned classes by implementing the such projects from national to grass root level.

Legal Cell
Legal Cell must concentrate on more useful ways to take advantage of (Right to Information) RTI Act 2005 in curbing corruption in administration in implementing the schemes of Central Government and other various public schemes. From district level to national level, committees of Legal Cell must open a RTI cell within their ambit and a network of activists and civil societies should be created for this purpose.
 

Minority Department
The members of the party’s Minority Department must also monitor the judicious implementation of Prime Minister’s 15 point programme in their respective areas. The Minority Department should also undertake the task of mass mobilization in favour of implementation of Justice Ranganath Mishra Commission’s report, recommending 15% reservation for minority community in job and higher education institutions, as they have done before while advocating the implementation of Sachar Committee’s recommendations.

Department of Training and Research
More attention should be paid to party education and more training classes should be organized on regular basis. Party’s Department of Training and Research should be strengthened to achieve the desired results.
   
11. Training Programme
This Convention, therefore, urges the national leadership to draw up a detailed training programme in the coming three months.

The party will have to draw up a detailed plan for giving training to party leaders at different level, select resource personnel and instructors for imparting training and explaining to them the party policies and programmes as well as the provisions of the party constitution and the party set up.

This Convention is sure that with efforts of the trained and committed workers, the party can achieve greater strides in the coming three years and further strengthen the party in the different states.

12. Importance of Agitational Programmes and Campaigns
Agitation on public causes is the life blood of any party.  It is unfortunate that our party rarely takes up public issues or resort to agitations to get them solved. It may be noted that it is such agitational programme that brings the party to the lime light of public eye and create opportunities for more and more people to get into contact with the party workers and get them involved in the party activities.

The party should undertake social issues for campaigns and struggle. There is a need to identify specific resolutions as mentioned hereunder-

(a). The cause of the dalits against caste oppression, making their demand for social justice a part of the common democratic platform;

(b). The rising consciousness and movement of women for equality and gender justice viewing the women’s question as not only a gender issue but a class issue;

(c). The struggle of the adivasis-tribal people for land, access to forests, an end to the inhuman capitalist and feudal exploitation, and protecting their identity, cultural and linguistic rights; and

(d). All social causes which help fight socially regressive and oppressive customs and practices.
Campaign against Communalism

BJP is in disarray after its repeated defeats both in lok sabha and state assembly elections. Now they are at the pray of Hindutwa agenda, even her president has already hinted its upcoming move inside the parliament during the discussion over govt.’s ATR on Librahan Commission Report. Therefore to counter its agenda of regrouping and mobilizing her agents concentrating on communal agenda, the party should start campaign to counter the communal policies of BJP-RSS combine and expose their divisive communal ideology.

Dalit Issues
The party must raise the demands which include implementation of land reforms, strict implementation of reservations in appointment and promotions, passing a legislation to provide reservation in the private sector, infrastructure development, rooting out untouchability, protection from atrocities, providing more employment opportunities, Proper implementation of PDS schemes among genuine BPL families etc.

Regular Collection of Member’s Contributions- The Party Constitution stipulates that each active member shall contribute to the party fund certain percentage of his/her income, as prescribed in the rules by the NCWC, failing which the name of the Party member has to be removed from the Party rolls. The amount of member’s contribution should be placed in each meeting of the district committee. This should be the practice at the level of the zonal committee as well. NCWC should ask the Hon’ble members of the Parliament and State  Assemblies to contribute their subscription on regular basis.

13. Flow of Information
The flow of information from top to bottom and bottom to top should be strengthened for the collective functioning of the Party. All Nationalist Congress Working Committee decisions and reports are explained in state committees either by NCWC or its members. There is weakness in explaining the NCWC and state committee reports and decisions to the lower committees. After every NCWC and state committee meeting, Party committees, at various levels, should assess how many committees and Party members are covered. Many NCWC documents were not reported to committees and Party members in many places. For better internal communication and streamlinig the party functioning and to keep every party worker aware of party’s views on current issues and news of the party along with the party’s parliamentary activities, regular circulation of party’s circular letters and updating party’s website must be ensured.

14.  Electoral Politics
We had fought the recent Parliament elections in alliance with Congress in Maharashtra, Goa and Bihar and in about a dozen states of our own.  But it may be seen that the alliance politics also did not give us good dividend. In Maharashtra, where we won 8 seats, lost 5 seats including two sitting seats because of the rug pulling activities of our partner.  The experience in Goa and Bihar had also not been different.

Out of the other states we contested, about a dozen of them without allying with anybody, we could win only one seat, i.e., from Meghalaya. This shows that whether we fight independently or in alliance winning the seats depends upon the organizational strength and popular support of our party leaders.  It makes it all the more necessary to expand the base of the party and strengthen the organizational functioning of the party.

Conclusion:
In spite of the limitations pointed above, we are proud of the growth, the party has recorded during the first ten years of our existence.  No other party in the country has ever before been so much welcomed by the people as to get the national recognition for the party within a few months after the formation of the party, to grow to such heights as to be the guiding force in the national politics of the country as well as to be the part of the government at the centre as well as in some states like; Maharashtra,  Goa and Nagaland and to ensure its presence in a dozen states in the country within a small span of ten years.

This has been made possible not only because of our great leaders but also because of the party cadres throughout the country who have strived hard with commitment and dedication for the cause that the party stands for.

Let us congratulate those selfless workers who have been working for the party against all odds and challenges with dedication to make our party one of the leading parties of the country and to make the presence of our party felt throughout the length and breadth of the country.

Yours sincerely,

Drafting Committee for Organisational Matters

Tariq Anwar, Chairman
T. P. Peethambaran Master, Member
Govindrao Adik, Member
S. R. Kohli, Member