In first press conference as AIPC Chairman, Madhu Goud Yaskhi calls professionals into public life; Praveen Chakravarty reflects on first cohort as AIPC marks former PM’s 94th birth anniversary
By Shashank Pasupuleti.
NEW DELHI, September 26: In his first press conference after taking charge as Chairman of the All India Professionals Congress (AIPC), former MP Madhu Goud Yaskhi on Saturday announced that the second batch of the Dr. Manmohan Singh Fellows Programme will be expanded to 100 professionals, doubling the strength of its inaugural cohort.
The announcement, made on former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh’s 94th birth anniversary, was positioned by Yaskhi as both a tribute to Singh’s legacy and an attempt to create a larger pathway for professionals seeking to contribute to politics, policymaking and public life.
“ For Yaskhi, the Fellowship is not merely a tribute to Dr. Manmohan Singh, but an effort to carry his legacy forward by transforming professional excellence into public leadership.
Acknowledging his immediate predecessor, Praveen Chakravarty, programme coordinators and members of the first Fellowship cohort, Yaskhi said the experience of the inaugural batch had encouraged AIPC to substantially scale up the initiative.
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After seeing the extremely highly talented people we have seen in the first batch, and the professionals who want to become part of politics, policymaking and nation-building ,” he said.
“Second Batch Expanded From 50 to 100
Making the principal announaipc cement of the press conference, Yaskhi said:
“We are scaling up to 100 Fellows in this coming year.”
He said applicants would be given approximately one month to apply, with details to be made available through the programme’s dedicated platform.
Yaskhi said further updates and details regarding the Dr. Manmohan Singh Fellowship Programme would be shared by Khalid Saifullah and Pallavi in the coming days.
Yaskhi also said the expansion followed Rahul Gandhi’s interaction with members of the inaugural cohort.
“Honourable Leader of the Opposition, after meeting the first batch of Manmohan Singh ji’s Fellows, asked us to scale it up and continue this programme,” he said.
The existing Fellowship describes itself as a political leadership incubator intended to provide experienced professionals with exposure to political assignments, mentorship and public leadership.
‘Professionals Can Enter Public Life’
Yaskhi placed the announcement within a broader appeal for professionals to participate directly in the political process.
“As Dr. Manmohan Singh always believed, politics is a powerful instrument for purposeful social change,” Yaskhi said.
He argued that professionals should be able to carry expertise acquired in fields such as economics, business, technology, law, medicine, academia and public policy into political decision-making.
“Professionals can enter into public life, bring their expertise into politics, policymaking and nation-building,” he said.
Yaskhi also invoked the historical role of professionals in the Congress and urged a new generation to participate in public affairs.
Yaskhi Recalls Working During Manmohan Singh Era
Yaskhi, who served as a Member of Parliament during the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government, brought a personal dimension to his tribute.
“I had an opportunity, fortunate to work under him as a Member of Parliament,” he said.
“I had an opportunity, fortunate to work under him as a Member of Parliament,” he said.He credited Singh’s leadership with navigating India through a period of global economic turbulence and argued that significant foundations for India’s subsequent economic development were established during the UPA years under Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
Yaskhi also highlighted rights-based measures associated with the UPA era, including employment guarantees, education initiatives and the Right to Information Act.
Describing Singh’s approach to leadership, Yaskhi said:
“More than he speaking, he heard the people of India.”
Yaskhi also criticised the present government’s claims over economic performance and alleged that the BJP had politically encouraged protests surrounding issues including the Lokpal during the UPA period. These were political assertions made by Yaskhi during the press conference.
‘You Don’t Have to Be a Party Member’
One of Yaskhi’s central messages was that professionals interested in public affairs should not assume that participation necessarily begins with conventional party membership.
“They don’t have to be part of any political system or members of the political party,” he said.
“With their experience, they can be part of politics, policymaking and nation-building.”
Yaskhi appealed through the media to professionals interested in what he described as building an inclusive and democratic India to apply for the Fellowship.
Chakravarty: Fellowship Provides a ‘Path’ Into Public Life
Earlier, opening the press conference, Praveen Chakravarty paid tribute to Dr. Manmohan Singh and explained the thinking behind the Fellowship’s creation.
“Dr. Manmohan Singh is perhaps India’s most consequential and significant professional-turned-political leader,” Chakravarty said.
He said the programme had been conceived for professionals who cared about the country’s future but lacked a structured pathway into active politics.
“The idea was to get professionals who care for a progressive, liberal country and want to do something about it — to give them a path, to give them a way to get involved,” he said.
The inaugural cohort consisted of 50 Fellows selected from a large applicant pool and represented a range of professional, regional and social backgrounds.
At the press conference, Chakravarty said the Fellows came from more than 16 states, around one-third were women, 46 of the 50 were below the age of 50 and about half were under 40.
He said approximately 56 per cent came from OBC, SC and minority backgrounds.
Reflecting on the programme’s first year, Chakravarty said:
“There can always be things that we could have done better, we could have done more, but for a first batch, it got off to a great start.”
He said the first cohort participated in different organisational activities and training programmes during the Fellowship.
Chakravarty Raises Institutional Concerns
Chakravarty also used the occasion to contrast what he described as Singh’s commitment to democratic institutions with his concerns over the current political environment.
Referring specifically to the Election Commission, he alleged that institutions were facing attacks and said Singh had placed particular importance on institutional integrity and democratic norms.
“No other Prime Minister in the recent past has given more importance to institutions and the idea of India’s democracy than Dr. Manmohan Singh,” Chakravarty said.
His comments regarding the Election Commission and the present state of democratic institutions reflected his political assessment.
Fellows Detail Work From Startups to Climate Policy
The press conference also featured members of the inaugural cohort, who offered examples of how their professional expertise had been applied during the Fellowship.
Entrepreneur Tarusha said she helped establish a startup domain within AIPC and contributed to technology tools, organisational initiatives and work connected with AIPC’s UPI-MDR campaign.
“It has been a fantastic experience for me so far,” she said.
Development economist Varna said she worked with district-level Congress functionaries to help communicate economic concepts at the grassroots.
“Economics is quite complex and not easily translated to the ground,” she said.
She also described participating in field and data-related assignments.
Climate and sustainability professional Atul Muthiyar said his Fellowship work focused on air quality as a public issue, involving engagement with civil society, the media, experts and practitioners over several months.
His work, he said, examined not only what governments should do about air pollution but also “what is the role of civil society” and, importantly, “what is the role of politics”.
From 50 Fellows to a Larger Political Experiment
The second cohort’s expansion from 50 to 100 Fellows represents the first major scaling-up of the programme and comes at the same time as a leadership transition within AIPC.
Chakravarty’s tenure saw the Fellowship launched and its inaugural cohort complete the programme. Yaskhi now takes charge as the initiative moves into a substantially larger second phase.
The expansion will test whether the programme can retain meaningful mentorship, field assignments and political exposure while doubling its intake.
For Yaskhi, however, the larger objective extends beyond the numbers.
His first press conference as AIPC Chairman centred on a proposition closely tied to the legacy the Fellowship seeks to invoke: that experienced professionals need not remain observers of politics, nor abandon their professional expertise to participate in it.
On Dr. Manmohan Singh’s 94th birth anniversary, AIPC’s message was therefore both commemorative and forward-looking — to create a wider bridge between professional expertise, politics, policymaking and public service.
