With the Congress leadership concerned about the party’s perceived failure to communicate to the people, especially in recent times, on contentious issues like the Amarnath row, Indo-US nuclear deal and terrorism because of dwindling organisational base, the ruling party at the Centre is falling back on Mahatma Gandhi to revive its fortunes.

It has prepared a blueprint for its revival at the grassroots level, which recommends a range of activities — from sports to cultural — to woo the youth to “Gandhi March” in every district of the country to mobilise people and explain the party’s stance on issues like POTA, Sethusamudram project and even Afzal Guru case.

There is also a proposal to form Social Action Groups, consisting of “local intellectuals with secular outlook”, to take on the BJP on communal issues. This group will organise “discussions, talks, brainstorming sessions, debates, publications of articles in local media, penal discussions in local channels”, according to party sources.

Gandhi March will be organised in every district, covering most of the villages, to create awareness among the people about the party’s stance on burning issues and to mobilise the masses. The main objective of the campaign, according to a party document, is “to enable the general public to acquire exact knowledge of facts/information on issues like ‘abolition of POTA’, ‘whether Congress is soft towards terrorism?’ and ‘delay in the execution of punishment to Afzal Guru’, ‘Sethusamudram’.

AICC media cell chairperson M Veerappa Moily confirmed the plans. “In fact,

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