The party may have helped herald an IT revolution in India. But technologically, the Congress headquarters in the capital is the most primitive among offices of all political parties, says a new book.
Located at 24 Akbar Road, which is also the title of journalist-author Raheed Kidwai's very readable book (Hachette India), the Congress office also has many illegal constructions while lacking the minimum number of toilets.
The 295-page book is in part a history of the Congress, the country's oldest political party, and is packed with information.
“In technological terms, the office of the country's most important political party is also the most primitive.
“Far from being Wi-Fi-enabled, most office-bearers - including the general secretaries - do not even have personal computers. Every communication or office order moves in physical form from table to table, back and forth from 24 Akbar Road to 10 Janpath (the residence of party president Sonia Gandhi).
“Each day, this mammoth exercise is conducted with the help of several peons and messengers,” it says.
“The concept of a paperless office is so alien to the general secretaries that they are ready to break into hearted argument, questioning the confidentiality and effectiveness of e-communication,” Kidwai goes on to add.
The book says that while successive party leaders from Indira Gandhi to Sonia Gandhi kept increasing the number of rooms on 24 Akbar Road, “none of them has bothered to increase the number of toilets”.
While the Congress chief and 11 general secretaries have washrooms attached to their rooms, “the rest of the hundred-odd office-bearers and their visitors have to make do with two stinking public urinals in the most disgusting surroundings”.
Women, it says, do not have a single dedicated washroom.
Much of the construction in the Congress office is illegal, the book says. Most of it came up when PV Narasimha Rao was the prime minister (1991-96).
The author says that there is complete lack of transparency in salary structure and funds.
“Most (Congress) employees are paid as per the whims of the party treasurer. Simple work norms such as provident fund, gratuity and health insurance are denied to them.”
Each general secretary, including Rahul Gandhi, gets Rs9,000 a month in cash - through a voucher system. But this is in addition to their perks as MPs or holders of constitutional posts.
When the Congress was out office from March 1977 to January 1980, it ran out of funds so badly that employees were urged to forego salary.
When the Congress split in 1978 and Indira Gandhi formed the Congress-I, party leaders visiting Delhi were asked to donate money. While south Indian leaders and MPs always parted with Rs100 or more, those from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh gave away just Rs10 or 20.
“But (party leader) Buta (Singh) accepted all the donations with humility and grace.
“If Buta was short of cash, he would quietly leave for Gurudwara Bangla Saheb and bring langar, the free community food served there.
“For the hungry Congress members, the simple daal, roti and halwa seemed truly a godsend.”
From the 1960s to 1990s, the Congress borrowed vehicles, mostly jeeps, for election work. But most candidates “forgot” to return the vehicles once the polls got over, the book says.
Party president Sitaram Kesri was “manhandled” twice at the party office - in 1998 and 1999. On one occasion, his dhoti was pulled off.
Sonia Gandhi, the book says, is “deeply suspicious of flattery” and has avoided developing a close circle of acolytes.
