The Congress Working Committee (CWC) held a major meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday, August 19, bringing together the party’s top leadership to discuss a range of political, social and organisational matters. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge chaired the meeting at Indira Bhawan, which was attended by Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and chief ministers of Congress-ruled states.
The meeting lasted more than four hours and focused on several issues that the party is trying to highlight politically. These included the ongoing debate over Vande Mataram, student concerns and examination paper leaks, alleged irregularities in Ram temple donations, the proposed delimitation exercise and the controversial ‘shuddhikaran’ incident in Haldwani.
Congress to Follow 1937 Resolution on Vande Mataram
The Vande Mataram issue became one of the main topics of discussion at the CWC meeting. The Congress decided to follow the party's 1937 resolution that only the first two stanzas of the National Song would be sung at Congress programmes.
Congress general secretary K C Venugopal said the party had a clear position on the matter and would follow the decision taken by its leadership in 1937. He referred to the presence and influence of prominent national leaders of that time, including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Rabindranath Tagore, Subhas Chandra Bose and Sardar Patel.
"There is no confusion on that,” Venugopal said while explaining the party’s position. Congress workers would follow the party’s leadership’s decision at the time, he said.
The BJP has criticized the Congress position strongly. BJP national president Nitin Nabin accused the Congress of insulting Vande Mataram and said the party had effectively made the alleged insult its official position. The row has added new layers to a political debate over the National Song.
Congress Expands Student Outreach
The CWC also raised concerns among students on examination paper leaks and the lack of education system. It also stressed Rahul Gandhi’s efforts to engage directly with young people with “Chhatron Ki Goonj” as well as others to address issues of student demonstrations and protests.
Congress plans to expand similar student outreach programmes to as many as 800 cities in the country. Rahul Gandhi will be involved in a number of these programmes in order to connect the party with students and young voters.
Congress-ruled states have also been told to develop comprehensive education and examination reform plans within a month. Those plans should be drawn up after consultation with students and other stakeholders to address problems with examinations, recruitment and the entire education system.
‘Chanda Chori’ Campaign Over Ram Temple Donations.
The CWC also decided to intensify the Congress campaign against alleged irregularities involving donations in Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The party refers to the issue as ‘Chanda Chori’ and has instructed its state units to take the campaign to the grassroots level (even villages).
K C Venugopal added that the issue should not be viewed only in the context of Ram temple, and that it has become connected with the sentiments of people. He also accused political opponents of using religious issues to create polarisation.
The Congress will take this issue to a higher level in its political campaign and accusations of donations are a political matter. The issue is another flashpoint between the Congress and BJP to give the media narrative on religion and the public’s sentiment.
Congress Position on Lok Sabha Delimitation.
Delimitation was another important issue discussed by the CWC. The Congress maintained its demand that the Lok Sabha would be kept at 543 seats for the next 25 years.
The Congress’ general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the party also wants the government to implement 33% reservation for women within the current strength of the Lok Sabha in the country as per the existing Lok Sabha to replace women’s representation 33% reservation. The Congress has been warning about the dangers of demographic and political repercussions of delimitation, especially for states that have made great progress in population control.
The party’s position is to link the delimitation debate with concerns about representation and the implementation of women’s reservation.
Congress Condemns Haldwani ‘Shuddhikaran’ incident
The CWC also strongly criticized the reported ‘shuddhikaran’ carried out at the Haldwani venue following Mallikarjun Kharge’s speech. Congress leaders condemned the incident and demanded an apology from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The party has cast the episode as a matter of social harmony and political conduct. The criticism is surely to form part of the Congress’s broader political messaging against what it calls divisive politics.
Focus on Organisational Strengthening
Apart from political problems, the CWC discussed the progress of the ongoing “Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan”. The initiative aims to strengthen the Congress organisation from the booth level to the state level.
The party has set October 31 as the target for completing the organisational exercise. Congress wants to develop its organisational presence and help to overcome future political challenges with booth-level mobilisation and grassroots structures and that is why.
The CWC meeting illustrated Congress’ strategy of mixing political campaigns with organisational consolidation. From the Vande Mataram debate and student outreach to “Chanda Chori” campaign, delimitation and Haldwani incident, the party has identified issues around which it will build its political narrative in the months to come. Congress Expands Student Outreach
The CWC also expressed deep concern over examination paper leaks and the education system. The party also took note of student protests and said Rahul Gandhi’s efforts to reach out to students directly through programmes like “Chhatron Ki Goonj” were also appreciated.
Congress plans to expand similar student outreach programmes to around 800 cities across the country. Rahul Gandhi will be involved in some such activities as the party tries to connect more closely with students and young voters.
Congress-ruled states have also been told to develop comprehensive education and examination reform plans within a month. These plans are to be developed after consultations with students and other stakeholders to identify problems related to exams, recruitment and the whole education system.
‘Chanda Chori’ Campaign Over Ram Temple Donations
The CWC also intensified the Congress campaign over alleged irregularities involving donations associated with the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The party called the issue “Chanda Chori” and asked its state units to take the campaign to the grassroots level, including villages.
K C Venugopal said the issue should not be seen only from the perspective of the Ram temple, but also from the point of view of the sentiments of people. He accused political opponents of using religious issues to create polarisation.
The Congress will make the issue a bigger part of its political campaign and allegations about the donations are still in dispute. The issue could become a flashpoint between the Congress and BJP in a political context where religion and public sentiment are also at play and which has been the subject of the BJP’s campaign as it is the primary political theme.
Four key issues discussed in the Congress Working Committee meeting:
— Congress (@INCIndia) August 19, 2026
1. Paper Leaks:
• The CWC noted the students’ agitation and the Modi government’s response.
• Opposition cornered govt in Parliament.
• Chhatron Ki Goonj to continue in 800+ cities.
2. Chanda Chori: We… pic.twitter.com/feuZYj4JFC
Congress Position on Lok Sabha Delimitation
The CWC also discussed the issue of delimitation. The Congress maintains its commitment that the Lok Sabha should remain at 543 seats for the next 25 years.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the party also wants the government to implement 33% reservation for women within the existing strength of the Lok Sabha. But the Congress is worried about the political and demographic consequences of delimitation, particularly for states that have made considerable progress in population control.
The party’s position is to link the delimitation debate with representation and the implementation of women’s reservation.
Congress Condemns Haldwani ‘Shuddhikaran’ Incident
The CWC strongly criticised the reported ‘shuddhikaran’ carried out at the Haldwani site after Mallikarjun Kharge’s speech. Congress leaders condemned the incident and sought an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The party has portrayed the episode as a matter of social harmony and political conduct. The criticism is probably to be part of the Congress’s overall political messaging against what it calls divisive politics.
Focus on Organisational Strengthening
Apart from political issues, the CWC discussed the progress of the ongoing “Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan”. This initiative aims to strengthen the Congress organisation from booth level to state level.
CWC की बैठक में कांग्रेस कार्यसमिति का प्रस्ताव 👇 pic.twitter.com/Rgy50xs8mv
— Congress (@INCIndia) August 19, 2026
The party has a target of completing the organisational exercise by October 31. Congress will be able to strengthen its organisational presence through booth-level mobilisation and grassroots structures in the future to cope with the political challenges.
The CWC meeting showed the Congress’ strategy of combining political campaigns with organisational development. From the Vande Mataram debate and student outreach to the “Chanda Chori” campaign, delimitation and the Haldwani incident, the party has identified issues around which it intends to build its political narrative in the months ahead.
