Overview

• Gandhi convened five sequential meetings in Bhopal, engaging the state Political Affairs Committee, MPs, MLAs, AICC observers and district and block presidents to launch the Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan.
• The campaign will station observers in each district for three months to assess organisational gaps and recommend leadership changes at the block and district levels.
• He urged unity within the party, warning that members working against Congress interests would face stringent action and highlighting local committees as the basis for future candidate selection.
• At a gathering in Ravindra Bhavan, Gandhi criticised the BJP-led central government’s resistance to a caste census, arguing it is vital to expose deep economic and social imbalances.
• BJP leaders seized on footage of Gandhi offering tribute to Indira Gandhi without removing his shoes, framing it as a cultural misstep and sparking a broader debate over tradition and respect.