Guwahati

The Congress will launch a mass outreach programme from Saturday to directly engage with citizens, stakeholders and party workers across Assam, state party president Gaurav Gogoi said.

The initiative, taken ahead of the assembly elections due early next year, is part of the ongoing campaign ‘Raijor Podulit, Raijor Congress (Peoples’ Congress at Peoples’ doorstep) aimed at building a "people-driven manifesto" through a structured and state-wide consultation process.

The consultations will begin with a focus on higher education in Assam, addressing issues related to quality, research and innovation, Gogoi said on Friday.

“As a first step, we are seeking guidance and suggestions on Assam’s higher education system, which is closely linked to human resource development,” he said.

The Congress MP said that his interactions with students from colleges and universities across the state show that significant work is still needed to improve quality, strengthen research and innovation, and empower students to become self-reliant.

The consultations will be conducted through five parallel field teams, each assigned a geographically optimised route through buses, to ensure comprehensive coverage across Upper Assam, Central Assam, Barak Valley, Bodoland, the Hill districts and Lower Assam.

A total of five buses have been kept ready to move for the purpose, Gogoi said.

A coordination team will monitor and support field operations, with one full day earmarked per district and each team covering one district per day.

The campaign ‘Raijor Podulit Raijor Congress’ was formally launched in Dibrugarh on December 6, marking the beginning of the party’s manifesto consultation process.

Gogoi said that to ensure wider and inclusive participation, the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee has launched a dedicated digital platform to enable citizens to submit their views online.

The party has also started installing “Aspiration Boxes” across districts in a phased manner since December 6.

Over 4,000 boxes are targeted to be placed at high-footfall locations such as marketplaces, tea garden lines, near tea stalls, bus stops etc. for wider public participation.

Gogoi urged the people of Assam to become partners in shaping the state’s future.

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“We envision a state where the aspirations of not one section, but of all people are reflected. As meeting every person physically is not feasible in a digital era, this platform allows us to connect with everyone”, he said.

Gogoi said that the party wants to listen to farmers, workers, students, small shopkeepers, entrepreneurs, women, intellectuals and social organisations across Assam, and collectively use their experiences to design a roadmap for a new Assam.