The much-awaited reshuffle of secretaries of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) was announced on Friday (August 30, 2024).
It showed a clear imprint of Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
Several young people who were associated with the Kanniyakumari-to-Kashmir Bharat Jodo Yatra and the Manipur-to-Mumbai Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra have been rewarded with secretarial posts. Mr. Gandhi had led both yatras.
The newly appointed secretaries who were involved with the two yatras include Manoj Tyagi, Kunal Choudhary, Dheeraj Gujjar, Danish Abrar, Divya Maderna, and Mathew Antony.
Based on performance
While several old-timers have been dropped, some have been retained and given charge of important States because of their performance. Chandan Yadav, who was earlier AICC secretary for Chhattisgarh, has been moved to Madhya Pradesh, Szarita Laithphlang has been moved from Tripura to Chhattisgarh, and Uttarakhand MLA Qazi Nizamuddin has been given Maharashtra.
The list of over 60 names also reflected the theme of social justice, with leaders from backward classes, tribal and minority communities finding a place.
Tribal leader and Lok Sabha MP from Odisha Saptagiri Ulaka and Indian hockey team captain-turned-Punjab MLA Pargat Singh are among the new secretaries appointed.
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Former Youth Congress leader Suraj Hegde has made a comeback as the AICC secretary for Punjab and Puducherry, while AICC spokesperson Alok Sharma has been made a secretary for Punjab.
The Congress president’s office has not seen any change with Pranav Jha and Gaurav Pandhi being retained as secretaries, while Ruchira Chaturvedi, who handled social media during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, has been made a secretary in the media department along with Vineet Punia.
