The issues raised by the Congress at the national level, she said, were not reaching the party’s grassroots cadre at the district and block levels. She was addressing a meeting of state Congress presidents, AICC general secretaries, and state in-charges here.

“We must fight the diabolical campaign of BJP/RSS ideologically. We must do so with conviction and expose their lies before the people if we are to win this battle. The AICC releases important and detailed statements almost every day on issues facing the nation. But it is my experience that they do not percolate down to our grassroot cadres at the block and district levels. There are policy issues on which I find a lack of clarity and cohesion even amongst our state-level leaders”, she said.

“You must train our workers to take on the unceasing onslaught of malicious disinformation campaigns at the behest of the BJP/RSS. And you must train our people to fight it while upholding and projecting the core Congress ideology,” she added.

Gandhi also gave a stern message to the leaders asking them to shed personal ambitions which may weaken the party.

“I would like to re-emphasise the paramount need for discipline and unity. What should matter to each and every one of us is the strengthening of the organisation. This must override personal ambitions. In this lies both collective and individual success,” she said.

With the Congress set to roll out a membership drive on November 1, Gandhi told the leaders that new members are the lifeblood of any political movement.