| All India Professionals' Congress | |
| Colorcode: | aqua |
| Chairperson: | Praveen Chakravarty[1] |
| Leader1 Name: | Rahul Gandhi[2] |
| Ideology: | Secularism Developmentalism Entrepreneurship[3] |
The All India Professionals' Congress, abbreviated as AIPC, is a wing of the Indian National Congress, focused on working professionals and entrepreneurs founded by Shashi Tharoor in 2017.[4] [5] [6] It aims to highlight the needs of Indians who are professionally employed while also serving to connect them to the political sphere.
| S.no | President | Portrait | Term | Home State | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Shashi Tharoor | 1 August 2017 | 15 November 2023 | Kerala | ||
| 2. | Praveen Chakravarty | 15 November 2023 | Incumbent | Tamil Nadu | ||
AIPC members, called AIPC fellows, have to be adult, resident citizens of India, possessing an Indian Voter ID and filing Indian tax returns, with professional qualifications or practising a profession in India.[7] The members have to affiliate themselves with the basic unit of the AIPC, called a Chapter, located nearest to their residence or workplace.
The AIPC aims to provide an ecosystem that connects professionals to politics. As a department of the Indian National Congress party, it enables its members to develop social, economic and sectoral policies that serve as inputs to the party's strategy and tactics. Conversely, it enables professionals to gain insight into the political and administrative processes through interactions with the political leadership of the party. Members are also expected to support the party by engaging in specialized research and data analysis in areas of their expertise. The AIPC also facilitates outreach to various national, state, professional and industry institutions and bodies, on both political and professional issues.[8]
The AIPC Rajasthan state unit collaborated with an NGO, Star Foundation, on an initiative called the Blessing Box, that offered food assistance to folk artistes and labourers who were out of work during the COVID-19 pandemic in India.[9]
The AIPC Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan state units helped develop the Indian National Congress' manifesto for the 2022 Uttarakhand state election. Thirty five AIPC teams visited all 70 constituencies, soliciting public opinion on the issues most important in the state and shaping it into concrete policy incorporated in the manifesto.[10]
The AIPC mandates that its fellows abide by these policies: