Monday, Apr 22, 2002
Monday, Apr 22, 2002 |
| National | ||
|
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | National
By Javed M. Ansari
The Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, had at the end of the Chief Ministers conference in Guwahati expressed her party's readiness to face the polls whenever they are held. Ideally the party would prefer to wait a while before facing the electorate. The Congress poll managers believe that the process of the unravelling of the NDA, especially the BJP has begun. They believe that with the passage of time this will get further accentuated and the chasm between the BJP and the allies will widen. "They have been exposed, we must wait for them to be thoroughly exposed before we go for the kill", a Chief Minister from one of the Hindi heartland States, said. The current crisis at the Centre has once again revived talk of an alternative Government and even the idea of a Third Front Government. While the party is willing to go the extra mile to maintain Opposition unity in Parliament, it is wary of the idea of trying to cobble together an alternative Government. "Our experience in the past with this kind of an experiment has not been very pleasant", a CWC member, said. The party believes that there is a mood for change in the country and increasingly people are again beginning to view the Congress as an alternative. The party wants to cash in on that sentiment at the hustings, rather than fritter it away by being part of a patchwork Government. In the assessment of the AICC leadership, an alternative Government is not possible without either the participation of, or the support of the Congress. Given the numbers it has to be a patchwork, comprising a number of parties, which in itself will hamper its stability, because of the absence of a strong national party providing the bulk of the numbers. The Congress with 112 members will not be able to exert the kind of control and influence that is required to keep the Government focussed and stable. Yet another fear being expressed in Congress circles is that the life of an alternative Government will be short and it is unlikely to do much, thus losing the advantage because of the incumbency factor against the NDA Government. The party's managers believe that in the event of a election the party will without doubt increase its numbers, at which time it could consider the proposition of a coalition Government. They believe that with an increased tally, the Congress will not only be the driving force of the Government but could have a major say in the direction that it takes.
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
|
|
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | Business Line | The Sportstar | Frontline | Home |
Copyright © 2002, The
Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu
|