From right, Congress general secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and party leader Ambika Soni during the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting at the AICC headquarters, in New Delhi.

New Delhi:The Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Wednesday decided to take issues including paper leaks and alleged "chanda chori" at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya to the grassroots and demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe and audit into the alleged donation theft.

The CWC also discussed alleged Chinese incursions in Arunachal Pradesh and accused the government of following a "surrender policy". It raised concerns over agricultural and energy security and E20 fuel.

The meeting discussed the singing of Vande Mataram and said the party would sing only two stanzas of the song in accordance with the 1937 resolution, which had the concurrence of senior leaders including Gandhi, Nehru, Patel, Subhash Chandra Bose and Tagore.

Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal said 88 leaders attended the CWC meeting and 33 spoke.

"We are focused on three-four issues. Number one is paper leaks. The agitation done by the people of the country and the way the government dealt with that agitation was discussed. The CWC noted that the Monsoon Session of Parliament was successful for the Opposition and the government was on the back foot," he said.

Venugopal said Rahul Gandhi's 'Chhatron ki Goonj' would continue with more such gatherings in 800 cities, some of which would be headed by the former Congress president.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge asked the party's chief ministers to work with education experts to prepare a roadmap to overhaul the education and examination system and submit a report to him, Venugopal said.

"'Chanda Chori' is a serious area of concern among people of this country. It is an issue associated with the sentiments of people. Those who used Ram Mandir for polarising people now stand exposed," Venugopal said.

"We will take this issue to the grassroots level. We directed PCCs to take it up at the village and panchayat level," he said.

Venugopal said the alleged "Chinese incursion" in Arunachal Pradesh was also discussed.

The CWC reiterated its demand that women's reservation be implemented within the current strength of 543 Lok Sabha seats. Venugopal said the party wanted the number of seats capped at 543 for the next 25 years, with one-third reserved for women and implemented immediately.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should apologise to the country over the "shudhikaran" in Uttarakhand after Kharge's programme there.

Addressing the CWC, Kharge said, "In Parliament, too, we strove for a comprehensive deliberation on issues concerning education and examinations-seeking a discussion on the injustices faced by students and demanding accountability. However, (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi ji and (Home Minister) Amit Shah ji evaded questions throughout the Monsoon Session. Now that they have started speaking, they are prioritising non-issues over the questions raised by the youth,"

The CWC meeting was held at Indira Bhawan and chaired by Kharge. Former Congress presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, AICC general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh and K.C. Venugopal and senior leaders Ambika Soni, Mukul Wasnik and P. Chidambaram were among those who attended.

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