Congress needs to get basics right, follow rules: Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Friday told party leaders that he was in no rush to change the organisation and the party should instead focus on correcting the basic problems and ensuring that rules were followed.

Gandhi was talking on the second day of his first formal interaction with senior leaders after taking over as party's no 2. The meeting will continue on February 4 as only 13 party secretaries could speak on Friday.

The discussions at the meeting are expected to help Gandhi plan his new team to fight a slew of assembly polls this year and the next general elections scheduled in 2014.

Rahul also said there was no need to rush with change in the organisation and said it would unfold in two phases.

Many secretaries started listing their individual grievances, saying they did not receive enough time or opportunity from the general secretaries and the ministers, and sought a quick resolution of their problems.

Others opined that membership issues should be given weightage and said the party needs to explain the flagship welfare programmes of the government to people.

"Responsibility with accountability" was the common refrain of the speakers during the meeting which lasted over two hours as most secretaries spoke at length.

According to party sources, Gandhi told them to suggest ways to strengthen the organisation and said personal problems can be taken up later.

"We need to have a system, so the party can work towards its goals...we need to correct the basics first and ensure we have rules that are followed," the sources quoted Gandhi as saying.

He also said there was no need to rush with change in the organisation and said it would unfold in two phases.

Gandhi also said that he would convey the suggestions made by the leaders to his mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi before the much-awaited reshuffle takes place.

Some of the speakers also suggested that Rahul Gandhi should interact with state and district level leaders through video conferencing.

Gandhi had on Thursday given a patient hearing to the general secretaries in charge of states who suggested the organisation needed an overhaul at the earliest.

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