NEW DELHI: Congress will soon be training its workers on the subject of “nationalism”, in an attempt to position them strongly to counter rival BJP, which it believes has made the issue its leitmotif to polarise voters.
After nearly seven years of the advent of the Modi regime during which BJP has successfully melded the plank of “nationalism” and “Hindutva” to pose a tricky challenge to the “secular” bloc, Congress has decided that it has to intellectually ground its workers on patriotism, but with an ideological twist.
The module of training finalised for the party cadres is “true nationalism” and they will also be taught about “The struggle for the idea of India“ and “Congress ideology“.
Clearly, the Congress plan is that the workers should arm themselves with ways to counter the dominant narrative of the ruling class headed by the RSS, by learning that the patriotism peddled by the rival is different from what Congress and others believe in — “true nationalism”. That the contending Hindutva ideology has triggered a “struggle for the idea of India”, as per the AICC training module, suggests that Congress wants its workers to imbibe that the party believes in an inclusive society where patriotism is not dictated by faith.
While the opposition party has vocally countered BJP over the years by accusing it of playing majoritarian politics and using nationalism as a cover, the decision to formally coach the cadres on the subject reflects a concern that the present narrative may sway them from the party ideology or weaken their belief.
As per the plan, Congress will train five “trainers“ from each state and Union Territory, who would then be responsible for holding workshops for office bearers, workers and sympathisers in their jurisdictions. Crucially, Congress is going to hold these training sessions for the “trainers” in Sevagram in Wardha, which is associated with Mahatma Gandhi.
Sources said the training will be completed by November after which the trainers will be sent to their states to follow up on the plan. All the states have been asked to send names to the AICC of experienced party workers to be nominated as “trainers”.
While the idea of ideological training on “nationalism” has been in the works for sometime now, it comes right in the middle of yet another debate on “nationalism“ through the controversy over Savarkar. The BJP brass recently said that Savarkar apologised to the British and filed a mercy petition at the instance of Mahatma Gandhi, a claim that has elicited a strong counter from experts as well as Congress and the Left. Interestingly, other Congress allies have chosen to stay mum on the issue.