Dealing with a stalwart's loss

By JAVED M. ANSARI

FOR A party that has been steadily losing the best and the brightest, the tragic death last Sunday of Madhavrao Scindia must be hard to take.

The 56-year-old Scindia represented all that is good about India's grand old party - he was pluralistic, liberal, and forward looking.

As personal grief gives way to political reality, the party leadership realises it has its work cut out to fill the void. He was among the most credible faces of the party, whose appeal transcended the communal divide. He was not just the deputy leader of the party in the Lok Sabha, but also its voice.

The Congress, already short on talent in the Lok Sabha, is likely to be further hamstrung now. ``It really is a huge loss and it will be extremely difficult to find a replacement,'' said Mr. Priyaranjan Dasmunshi, the party's chief whip.

Madhavrao Scindia invariably led the party's charge in the Lok Sabha, with Mr. Jaipal Reddy, Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyer and Mr. Dasmunshi as the supporting cast.

He was also the party's interface with the Government, and with the rest of the Opposition, besides looking after the day-to-day affairs of the party in the House.

Now, the search has to be for someone who can take on these responsibilities and also be acceptable to the rest of the party. Madhravrao Scindia by virtue of being a nine-term member was not only the second most senior member of the CPP, but was also the most prolific speaker in the Congress ranks.

His death will increase the burden on Ms. Sonia Gandhi in the House. The Congress front benches are full, but few have his range or his speech-making skills.

The former Lok Sabha Speaker, Mr. Shivraj Patil, has the seniority and the experience but many within the party feel he will not be comfortable in the role of pinchhitter of the main Opposition party.

Mr. Jaipal Reddy, despite his turn of phrase, is still new to the party, while Mr. Aiyer's tends to shoot from the hip. Mr. Dasmunshi does possess the tough streak which many believe the party needs in the Opposition, but appears to have blotted his copybook with the controversy over the letter alleged to have been written by the Cabinet Secretary.

The situation outside Parliament is equally tough for the Congress. It has in the last one year lost two of its most effective campaigners. Madhavrao Scindia and Rajesh Pilot were the two most sought- after campaigners after Ms. Sonia Gandhi.

Madhavrao Scindia in fact was already being inundated with requests to campaign in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, the two States slated to go to the polls in the next few months. He had already made one trip to Punjab and was on his way to campaign in Uttar Pradesh when his plane crashed.

Ms. Sonia Gandhi was ushering in a silent generational change in the party, entrusting the younger leaders with greater responsibility. For example, most of her party Chief Ministers, Mr. Digvijay Singh, Mr. Vilasrao Deshmukh, Mr. Ajit Jogi, and Mr. Ashok Gehlot, are in their late forties or early fifties.

The core of her team of campaigners included Madhavrao Scindia, Mr. Digvijay Singh and Mr. Jogi. All three have what it takes - age, credibility, clean image, good oratory skills and a appeal which transcends religious and caste affiliations. Of the three, Madhavrao Scindia was the one with the national appeal, a more known face because of his long innings at the Centre and his lineage.

The Congress is putting up a brave front, as indeed it must in its hour of crisis. ``It is no doubt a huge blow, but we will overcome, we have the resilience and the talent pool to do that,'' says Mr. Jogi.

The party has some leaders whom it can draw on. Mr. Digvijay Singh has built for himself a reputation after winning his second Assembly elections but appears to be reluctant to move out of Madhya Pradesh. Mr. Jogi has begun to make an impression especially in Uttar Pradesh, but will require some time before he acquires enough stature.

``We owe it to them and to the party to build from where they left off, we have no choice but to move forward,'' says a CWC member. Brave words indeed, but the party will have to move fast and get its act together.

In the harsh world of politics, once the sentiment ebbs, harsh realities take over. Already, there is a whisper campaign under way aimed at depicting the Congress as a party of losers without a team of leaders. These are indeed hard times for the party. But if it is to survive, it must move forward and look to the future. Ms. Sonia Gandhi must build a team of dynamic and credible people around her. Leaders like Dr. Manmohan Singh, Mr. Digvijay Singh and Mr. S. M. Krishna are more than a match for anyone that the other parties can throw up.

Madhavrao Scindia believed that the Congress was the only party which had the vision to come good. It is now up to his party to prove him right.

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