The Hindu : Results a verdict against BJP: Sonia

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 25, 2002

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National

Results a verdict against BJP: Sonia
By Javed M Ansari

NEW DELHI, FEB. 24. The drums were beating, fireworks rent the air, and the crowds were singing and dancing outside the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi's residence.

With its Governments in Punjab and Uttranchal a certainty and the likelihood of Manipur being added to the list, it was celebration time for the Congress.

Even the normally reticent Ms. Gandhi did not try to hide her happiness. ``I am obviously delighted, the people have voted decisively against the BJP and we will form Governments in Punjab and Uttaranchal and possibly in Manipur,'' she said in her reaction to the results.

There was joy in the party ranks, particularly at the BJP's rout at the hands of the Congress in three of the four States that went to the polls. The party appeared happy over the fact that while the number of States under it had gone up to 13, the BJP was rapidly losing States under its control.

Ms. Gandhi is despatching senior members of her party as central observers to each of the States that went to the polls, to ensure the smooth election of CLP leaders.

Motilal Vora, the AICC general secretary and the CWC member, Ahamad Patel, are leaving for Punjab, while Ghulam Nabi Azad and the CWC member, Ambica Soni, are leaving for Uttaranchal and Pranab Mukherjee and Manishankar Aiyer will travel to Manipur. After he returns from Uttaranchal, Mr. Azad will travel to Lucknow along with R K. Dhawan to oversee the election of CLP leader.

The elation in the party, however, appeared tempered with realism, both on the issue of mounting a challenge to the NDA Government at the Centre as well as the position to be adopted on the issue of extending support to the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh.

Though the Congress termed the verdict of Assembly elections as a verdict against the BJP Government, it stopped short of asking for its resignation.

``They may be in Government, but they have lost the mandate and the moral authority,'' said the party spokesperson, Jaipal Reddy.

Tie-up with SP

The Congress was, however, circumspect on the issue of extending support to the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh. It would have preferred a situation where it was not called upon to exercise that option. Conscious of the complexities of the situation, Ms. Gandhi has summoned a meeting of the Congress Working Committee to sort out the matter.

Most Congress leaders admit that it is not a easy decision for the party to make and the indications were that it was unlikely to take a decision on the issue in a hurry. The leadership is under pressure from the Left parties to extend support to the SP in the larger interest of keeping communal forces at bay. It has to keep in mind that it might need the support of the Left and other secular parties, such as the SP, to form the Government at the Centre.

The Congress leadership, however, had to contend with the strong feelings in the party, particularly in its Uttar Pradesh unit, against a tie-up with the SP. Senior Congress leaders admit that though the logical thing for the party would be to support Mulayam Singh's bid to form a Government in order to keep the BJP out, the decision was a difficult one psychologically. The Congress has still not forgiven him for preventing Ms. Gandhi from forming the Government at the Centre in 1999.

``Feelings are running high and its not very easy to forget the role he played,'' says a CWC member.

Ironically, opposition to extending support to Mr. Yadav, even in the name of secularism or keeping the BJP out, came from the Muslim leaders of the Congress. ``Why must we alone be responsible for saving secularism? Why didn't he consider this in 1999, and how can the definition of secularism be different when it comes to Delhi and Lucknow?'' asks Mr. Azad.

The former PCC chief, Salman Khursheed, favoured the idea of extending support to the SP provided Mr. Yadav made a public declaration of it and promised to enter into a agreement.

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