The Hindu : Sonia calls for `war' against communalism

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 13, 2002

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Sonia calls for `war' against communalism

By Javed M. Ansari

The Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, gestures during the conference of the Congress-ruled State Chief Ministers in Guwahati, on Friday. — AP

GUWAHATI APRIL 12. The Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, has called for an "uncompromising war against the forces of communalism'' and set out an ambitious agenda of governance for the Congress State Governments. Significantly, Ms. Gandhi also directed her Chief Ministers to act firmly and decisively against "individuals and organisations" practising the politics of hate. "They must be dealt with without fear or favour and there must not be any compromise under any circumstances,'' she told the conclave of 14 Congress Chief Ministers here.

The significance of Ms. Gandhi's speech lay in the manner in which she addressed the political realities, her party's role, and the need to match promise with action in order to win the confidence of the people.

The people had begun to recognise the Congress as the "natural party of governance and expectations are high,'' she said. But, the State Governments should "practise a brand of politics in which economic growth and social development have absolute primacy.''

The first part of her speech was a riposte to those who believed that the Congress was "wilting" under the onslaught from the saffron brigade in the wake of the "communal madness" in Gujarat. Even as she came down heavily on the Bharatiya Janata Party, both at the Centre and the State, Ms. Gandhi contrasted the "exclusivist and sectarian nature" of the Sangh Parivar with the composite and pan-Indian view of her own party. The country was going through one of the "darkest" phases in history, and the current battle and debate on secularism was between a minority of "self-appointed guardians of faith who practised religious hatred and bigotry," and a majority of Indians who believed in religious tolerance and wanted to "move forward and look ahead.'' The Congress "believes that all those who live in this country are equally entitled to the protection of law, irrespective of the community (to which) they belong,'' she said.

Ms. Gandhi set out the agenda for the conclave as well as the benchmarks for the Congress Governments. The attempt clearly was to draw the battle lines against the BJP on the issue of good governance. At the very outset, she cautioned the Chief Ministers against "resting on their laurels.'' The Congress Governments must stand out as "ever expanding silver linings in the dark clouds created by the BJP''.

Good governance had many facets. It included ensuring that minimum wages were paid, assuring the welfare of the unorganised sector, implementation of measures to curb atrocities against women, the weaker sections and the minorities, besides maintaining social harmony. The anti-incumbency factor, she said, could only be taken care of by credible achievement, political mobilisation and responsive management.

Ms. Gandhi also called for special programmes for the Dalits, the Adivasis, the backward classes, the minorities and women.

Ms. Gandhi asked her Chief Ministers to pay attention to power reforms in their States, so that adequate power was available at affordable rates. She called on her Chief Ministers to collectively boycott arrogant display of wealth and authority.

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