Let Sonia decide on CWC issue: Scindia

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, DEC. 22. The deputy leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, Mr. Madhavrao Scindia, today said it would be best to leave it to the Congress president, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, to decide whether to hold elections or nominate members to the CWC. ``I will go along with whatever the Congress president decides,'' said Mr. Scindia.

Refusing to get drawn into a debate on the feasibility of holding elections to the apex body, Mr. Scindia said the party had proved its democratic credentials by holdings elections to the post of the Congress president. ``We don't have to prove our democratic credentials to anybody,'' he said.

Mr. Scindia said there might be some merit in the arguments given by those opposed to and in favour of elections to the CWC. Those who favoured authorising the Congress president felt that there was a danger of regional, gender, generational imbalances cropping up in case of the elections and there was a limit to the amount of adjustment the party president could do through the 12 members she could nominate. In case she was authorised it would allow her to balance things out and bring in fresh talent.

Happy with performance

Mr. Scindia said he had every reason to be happy with his party's performance in Parliament because it had succeeded in unmasking the Prime Minister and focussing on the plight of farmers. ``That this was an inexperienced government of 24 disparate parties hanging together only to remain in power had been demonstrated in the past few weeks,'' he said. His party had succeeded in forcing the Gujarat Government to back off on the RSS issue and in exposing the Government's real intentions on Ayodhya. His party's views had now begun to be appreciated by the people especially in respect of the lifting of Quantitative Restrictions, he said.

Mr. Scindia said the party had consciously decided to be a responsible opposition, to attack issues endangering the national fabric but ``yet cooperate on legislations of national importance.'' His party was not interested in toppling the Government. It would however work to expose the Government's misdeeds, he said.

On the new aggressive line adopted by the Congress in Parliament, Mr. Scindia said after a year of self-restraint his party had realised that it was not being appreciated by the Government and had decided to demonstrate its strength in the House on ``issues of vital importance.''

He also expressed satisfaction over the cooperation in the Opposition and said on important national issues most if not all of them had worked together. ``There were some parties which had a different agenda but as far as we are concerned we are willing to cooperate with everybody, Mr. Scindia said.

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