New Delhi: In a bid to rehaul its organisation and sharpen its otherwise broad-stroked attack to fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress on Wednesday (April 9) adopted a resolution that targeted the saffron party’s pole pillars of religion and nationalism by calling out its “pseudo-nationalism” and “weak-kneed foreign policy” while calling for national harmony against the ruling party’s active abetment of “religious confrontation and attacks on minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians”.The resolution adopted by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in Ahmedabad on Wednesday looks to redirect the party’s fight against the BJP after a slew of assembly election losses last year shortly after its gains in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.Facing criticism for its internal factionalism costing it elections, the party said that it would empower district presidents and make organisational empowerment its goal, with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge saying that “those who do not fulfil their responsibilities should retire”.However, a cautious note was struck by Congress MP and Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Shashi Tharoor about the party’s way forward in focusing on “restoring” voters lost in the last three elections and spreading a message of positivity and not just criticism.Pseudo-nationalismThe symbolism of its bid to reclaim the idea of nationalism from the BJP, which has made it its rallying cry over the last decade, was evident as the party held the extended CWC meeting in Gujarat, which has emerged as the saffron party’s bastion in the last three decades.The session held in Ahmedabad saw posters and banners showcasing Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, as the party on Tuesday moved a resolution condemning a “well-planned conspiracy” against national heroes and said that the BJP’s bid to claim Patel’s legacy was “laughable”.“The idea of nationalism for Congress is one that binds people together. On the other hand, the pseudo-nationalism of the BJP-RSS [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh] seeks to divide the society and our people. The BJP-RSS model of nationalism aims to erase India’s diversity. The nationalism espoused by the Congress is deeply embedded in our shared heritage, while that of the BJP-RSS is marred by vitriol and prejudice,” the resolution adopted on Wednesday said.Kharge in a bid to set the house in order said that “those who do not help in party work need to rest” and that “those who do not fulfil their responsibilities must retire.” Photo: X/@INCIndia.In its resolution, the Congress abandoned its broad-based approach towards highlighting atrocities against religious minorities by naming Muslims and Christians.In its section on “national harmony”, the resolution said that the “foundational principle of the Indian constitution is non-discrimination – whether on the basis of religion, caste, language, place of residence, attire or food.”“This is the core of the Congress party’s ideology,” the resolution said.“In stark contrast, the BJP government and its affiliates are determined to fracture this core national spirit for ‘political gain’ & ‘lust for power’. They seek to divide, partition and bifurcate – to foster divisions on the ground of religion by pitching Hindu v/s Muslim, to create language divides, to fabricate artificial discord between North India v/s South India or to create caste-based rifts and divisions. The ruling regime actively abets religious confrontation and attacks on minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians.”Condemning the Waqf Amendment Act, which was passed by parliament last week, the resolution said that the legislation was a part of the BJP’s “polarising strategy”.“The stark truth is that the targeting of Muslims and Christians is making large sections of them live in fear today, which is not only demeaning but a crime against the constitution. The amendment to the law on waqf board, the targeting of church land, manufactured demonstration outside religious places is all part of this polarising strategy,” it said.Weak-kneed foreign policyThe resolution also called out the Narendra Modi government’s “weak-kneed foreign policy” while raising China’s encroachment on Indian land in Ladakh and called for negotiations with the US after the Trump administration imposed 27% reciprocal tariffs on India.“The Congress party calls upon the ruling regime to undertake a constructive negotiation with US on tariffs by placing our national interests first and after taking into confidence all political parties and stakeholders. For the present BJP government, foreign policy has been reduced to a policy of weak-kneed leadership and helpless submission, which is unacceptable,” it said.In his speech at the close of the session, leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of hiding after his “friend” US President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on India.Congress leaders pose for a group photograph after the extended CWC meeting at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Memorial in Ahmedabad. Photo: AICC via PTI.“When Narendra Modi went to America, he would hug the president. This time did you see a photo of PM Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump hugging? Where did it disappear? President Trump, whom PM Modi calls his friend, gave orders that this time we will not hug; this time, I will impose new tariffs,” said Gandhi.“But PM Modi did not even utter a word. Till today he is absent. To divert the attention of the public, a drama was staged in parliament for two days. The truth is that a financial storm is about to hit India. When Covid came, Narendra Modi made people bang vessels. Now an economic storm is awaiting, crores of people will be affected, where is Narendra Modi?”The AICC resolution also referred to the Congress’s earlier demands of a nationwide caste census, removing the 50% cap on reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs as well as a legislation for a legal guarantee on minimum support prices.‘Fulfil responsibilities or retire’In his opening remarks on Wednesday on the banks of the Sabarmati river, Kharge in a bid to set the house in order said that “those who do not help in party work need to rest, those who do not fulfil their responsibilities must retire.”“The role of district presidents is going to be important in the formation of the organisation. Therefore, their appointment has to be done strictly and impartially as per the AICC guidelines,” he said.Kharge said that in order to empower district presidents, they would be consulted for the candidate selection process for elections.“The district president has to make the booth committee, mandal committee, block committee and district committee by adding the best people within one year of his or her appointment. There should be no bias,” he said.“We also called three meetings of district presidents from across the country. Rahul ji and I talked to them and took their inputs. In future, we are going to involve district presidents in the candidate selection process for polls.”Tharoor strikes cautious noteWhile the resolution listed the Congress’s legacy in government, tracing the contributions of former leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Patel and the party’s achievements, including bringing about legislations like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, a cautious note was struck by Tharoor.Tharoor, who had incidentally taken on Kharge in the Congress presidential polls, said that the party should focus on the future as a “party of positivity and not negativity”.Shashi Tharoor speaks at the Ahmedabad CWC meet. Photo: Screenshot from X/@INCIndia.“The Congress party must be a party of hope, not of resentment. A party of positivity, not only of negativism. A party of the future, not just of the past. A party with positive narratives, not just criticism. I hope we will leave here with a resounding message to the nation that we are here, we will fight, we will be resolved, we will focus on the future and we will build a better India for all,” he said.He also said that with the AICC session being held in Gujarat, where the party has been out of power for three decades, the party stands on “the brink of a new revival” and needs to focus on restoring the votes it had won before but lost in the last three elections.“2024 has given us both good news and bad news – a good result in the Lok Sabha elections where we doubled our strength but bad news in a number of state elections that followed. We need to retain and restore the votes we have won before but we have failed to win in the last three elections, and that is where this resolution leads us. It is a resolution in which we express constructive criticism and not mere unrelenting negativity,” he said.Tharoor’s messaging came even as other leaders in the party including Kharge and Gandhi continued with the oft-repeated themes of caste census and the BJP’s capture of institutions.In his remarks at the close of the session, Gandhi while reiterating the demands for a nationwide caste census and removing the 50% cap on reservations said that the new Waqf Act is an attack on the freedom of religion and alleged that the BJP and the RSS have their sights on Christians and Sikhs next.Gandhi said that the Congress faces an opposition that holds financial and institutional power, and that the fight “will not be easy”.“They have everything at their disposal, but we have truth and the love of the people on our side,” he said.