NEW DELHI, Aug. 19, 2026: The Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Wednesday laid out a broad political strategy covering education, paper leaks, the Ram Temple donation controversy, Vande Mataram, China, women’s reservation, delimitation and organisational reforms.
The meeting, chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at Indira Bhawan in New Delhi, brought together 88 party leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several Congress chief ministers. The discussions indicate that the party is preparing to take a wider range of issues directly to voters and strengthen its grassroots political campaign.
‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ to reach 800 cities
One of the most prominent decisions was to expand the Congress's ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign against examination paper leaks and problems in India's education system.
The party said the campaign will now reach nearly 800 cities, with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi expected to participate in several programmes. Congress leaders said the campaign would focus on paper leaks, unemployment among educated youth and broader problems in the examination system.
Congress president Kharge has also asked the party's chief ministers to consult education experts and prepare concrete plans for reforming education and examination systems in their respective states. According to the party, the chief ministers have been asked to submit their plans within a month.
Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal argued that education should not be dominated by what the party described as privatisation and centralisation. The party also said the government's handling of protests over alleged examination irregularities would remain a major political issue.
The decision to expand the campaign nationwide suggests that Congress sees student concerns as a potential route to connect with younger voters, particularly amid complaints over competitive examinations, recruitment and employment opportunities.
‘Chanda chori’ campaign to move to villages
The Ram Temple donation controversy was another major focus of the meeting.
Congress announced plans to take its “chanda chori” campaign to the grassroots, including villages and panchayats. The party has directed its Pradesh Congress Committees to raise the issue at the local level and organise protests across states.
Congress also demanded an independent investigation under the supervision of the Supreme Court and called for a comprehensive audit of the accounts and assets of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
The party argued that donations for the Ram Temple came from people across society and therefore demanded greater scrutiny of the management of those funds. Congress leaders also linked the controversy to their broader criticism of the BJP and its use of the Ram Temple issue in politics.
The strategy marks an attempt to shift the issue from Parliament and national political debates to local communities, where Congress hopes it can generate a broader public discussion.
Vande Mataram row remains politically significant
The CWC also discussed the ongoing controversy surrounding Vande Mataram.
Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal said there was “no confusion” over the party's position. He said Congress would follow the decision taken in 1937 by Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel concerning the rendition of the song.
The party has maintained that its workers will follow the established position of singing the first two stanzas.
Venugopal described Vande Mataram and the national anthem as emotional issues for Congress but accused the BJP of turning them into political controversies. He also characterised the recent controversy at Congress headquarters as a communication gap and said the matter had been closed.
The issue has nevertheless become part of a wider Congress-BJP confrontation over nationalism, history and the freedom movement.
Congress targets government over China
The CWC also discussed India's security situation along the China border.
Congress alleged that Chinese forces had continued infrastructure development and incursions in parts of Arunachal Pradesh. The party claimed that Chinese personnel had restricted Indian access to some patrolling points and areas traditionally used for grazing.
Congress accused the Narendra Modi government of failing to respond adequately to these developments and described its China policy as a “surrender policy.” These are political allegations made by the opposition, while the government has rejected similar claims in the past.
The party also raised concerns about India's trade deficit with China and argued that Chinese imports were putting pressure on Indian manufacturing and small and medium-sized businesses.
Women’s reservation and delimitation
Another significant issue discussed at the meeting was women's reservation.
Congress reiterated its demand that one-third reservation for women in legislatures be implemented from the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
The party also demanded that the existing 543 Lok Sabha seats and their allocation among states remain frozen for 25 years. The issue is politically sensitive because any future delimitation exercise could alter the distribution of parliamentary seats among states based on population.
Congress has argued that states that have successfully controlled population growth should not be disadvantaged through a redistribution of Lok Sabha seats.
The party also raised concerns about the absence of an OBC column in the Census questionnaire and demanded clarity from the Centre over the caste census.
Uttarakhand ‘shuddhikaran’ row
The Congress leadership also returned to the controversy surrounding an alleged “shuddhikaran” or purification of a platform used by Kharge in Uttarakhand.
Jairam Ramesh demanded an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the incident. Congress leaders described the alleged act as unacceptable and politically significant.
The party has sought to use the episode to question the BJP's social and ideological politics, while the BJP and its leaders have rejected Congress's broader allegations.
Unemployment and education emerge as key themes
Beyond individual controversies, the CWC meeting highlighted unemployment among educated young people as another major concern.
Congress said unemployment among graduates and postgraduates remained a serious problem and described it as evidence of a systemic failure after years of economic and educational policy.
The party intends to combine this issue with its student campaign, making paper leaks, recruitment examinations, jobs and education reform part of a broader youth-focused political message.
That strategy could become particularly important as Congress seeks to expand its appeal among young voters who are directly affected by competitive examinations and employment opportunities.
Organisational overhaul also planned
The party also reviewed its internal organisational structure.
Congress said its Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan is underway and that restructuring from the booth level through the state level is expected to be completed within the next two months, before October 31.
The organisational push is intended to strengthen the party's presence at the grassroots and improve its ability to turn national political campaigns into sustained local mobilisation.
A wider political offensive
Taken together, the decisions show Congress attempting to build a multi-issue political campaign rather than concentrating on a single national controversy.
Paper leaks and unemployment are aimed at young voters; the Ram Temple donations issue targets the BJP's handling of a deeply sensitive religious institution; Vande Mataram addresses the nationalism debate; China focuses on national security; and delimitation and women's reservation target constitutional and political representation.
The CWC meeting therefore appears to have produced not just a list of resolutions but a roadmap for taking several contentious issues from Parliament and national media into states, cities, villages and grassroots organisations.
With Congress planning hundreds of student-focused programmes, nationwide protests over the temple donation controversy and further campaigns on other issues, the coming months are likely to see a sharper political contest between Congress and the BJP across multiple fronts.
Also Read: Amit Shah to Lead Southern States Meet on Inter-State Issues