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By Javed M. Ansari
Speaking to presspersons at the conclusion of a two-day Congress Chief Ministers' conclave here, Ms. Gandhi answered a range of queries on coalitions and alliances, India-Pakistan relations, the Kashmir issue, the reservation issue and on when her children would join politics. She said her party was working closely with the Samajwadi Party and Ajit Singh and this could translate into an electoral alliance in Uttar Pradesh. From grudging recognition to open acceptance, the Congress today appeared to have covered the distance regarding working with like-minded parties and the need to build a bulwark of secular parties to take on the NDA. Significantly, she indicated that in the States where the party was weak such as Tamil Nadu, the Congress would be open to the idea of an alliance "The issue will be discussed at the party forum and with the leaders of other parties," she said. On Friday night, the party held an extended strategy session focussed on the States going to the polls. The broad strategy appears to be not to allow the BJP to polarise the polity and to focus on the development work undertaken by her party-ruled State Governments. Today, Ms. Gandhi sounded bullish about her party's prospects. "We are in a very good position in these States and if the Governments and the State units can work together, we will surely do well." The anti-incumbency factor would be successfully tackled, she said adding "our States have done tremendous work and we will now be concentrating on some of the weak links in order to face this challenge". The Rajasthan Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot, came in for handsome praise at the conclave. Ms. Gandhi complimented his tough stand against forces trying to destabilise the social fabric and the drought-relief measures taken by his Government. Denouncing the Sangh Parivar, Ms. Gandhi made it clear that the Congress would spare no effort in confronting these forces. She also took pains to deny that some of her party Governments were trying a "soft Hindutva" approach. "There is no such thing, it is a phrase coined by the BJP," she said. The Congress president also lent support to Mr. Gehlot's proposal for reserving seats for the economically poor among the "upper castes". In this regard, she referred to the measures taken by the P.V. Narasimha Rao Government in 1991 and the fact that the issue had formed part of the party manifesto in the last Uttar Pradesh Assembly election. The Congress had suggested to the Government that it bring about a constitutional amendment on the issue. On Kashmir, she reiterated her party's stand in favour of a dialogue with all shades of opinion. Supporting the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee's initiative for resuming the peace process with Pakistan, she, however, regretted that the Government spoke in several voices on the issue. "Ministers say one thing and the very next moment they are contradicted by their seniors." She also appreciated the manner in which the PDP-Congress coalition was functioning in Jammu and Kashmir. On the possibility of either of her children joining politics, she said, "it is for them to decide whether they want to join active politics or not."
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