'BJP moles in Gujarat Congress': AICC observers flag infiltration in party structure

New Delhi: The All India Congress Committee (AICC) observers, appointed to recommend measures for revamping district organisations in Gujarat, have flagged infiltration of the saffron party’s “moles” within the state unit.

On April 12, shortly after the two-day AICC session held in Ahmedabad on April 8 and 9, the Congress announced a list of approximately 225 national and Gujarat-based leaders assigned to oversee the selection of new district presidents.

These observers were tasked with visiting each district in Gujarat and engaging with party workers to discuss empowerment and restructuring of the district units ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Gujarat comprises 33 districts and eight major cities. Of the 225 observers, 42 are drawn from the AICC and 183 from the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC).

Since April 23, the observers have been making regular visits to their assigned districts and will continue their assessment until May 8. Following this, they will submit a report detailing their findings along with suggested names for district presidents.

A few AICC observers have expressed concerns over the presence of BJP “moles and friends” within the Congress.

Several party functionaries argue that with Congress being out of power in Gujarat since 1995, some leaders with business interests have developed ties with BJP ministers and office bearers to ensure their work proceeds smoothly, despite their Congress affiliation.

“To stay in the good books of BJP ministers and functionaries, these Congress leaders sometimes pass on organisational information and attempt to weaken the party from within,” an AICC observer said. “This causes irreparable damage to the Congress. But the good news is that we have been able to identify the majority of such individuals.”

In fact, during his recent visit to Gujarat, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi claimed that several state leaders were colluding with the BJP to weaken the party. He called for such individuals to be identified and removed as part of the organisational clean-up.

The AICC observers have been instructed to follow specific criteria for selecting new district presidents. Preference will be given to ideologically committed individuals willing to take on the ruling BJP—on the streets and on all fronts, an AICC observer noted.

But the big question remains: will the Congress be able to find such people?