10-14-2007, 03:46 PM
<!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> Can Sonia make the PM smile again?
Arati R Jerath
Sunday, October 14, 2007 http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1127445
Page 2 of 2 (Jump to page 1)
Party spokesman Abhishekh Singhvi reflected the mood when he said there was no U-turn on the nuclear deal. And, on Friday evening, the Capital abounded with rumours that the PM had resigned. False as they are, the rumours underline the uncertainty that has gripped the Congress.
Gandhi must have been aware of the impact her comments would have on her party and the man she chose as PM. She was, therefore, careful to coat the bitter pill with plenty of sugar as she showered praises on Manmohan Singh and dropped a hint about a cabinet reshuffle to bring newer and younger faces into the government.
But she will have to do more than offer lollipops to counter the negative mood in her ranks. Over the next few weeks, Gandhi will have to undertake a series of confidence-building exercises to boost the morale of the Congress and resurrect the image of the PM.
She will also have to get the Left to lower the decibel level of its rhetoric to send out the message that allâs well with the ruling combine.
Between the lines of her mantra on coalition dharma lies a clear message: the dictum to ``understand and accommodate each otherââ applies as much to the Left as to the PM.
If Singh can be made to swallow his pride to keep the UPA-Left arrangement afloat, then surely Prakash Karat can be persuaded to meet him halfway.
Gandhi seemed to signal that sheâs done her bit. Now, itâs up to the senior leaders of the Left to do their bit. Otherwise, the rupture will not heal and the election that no one wants may yet happen.
Left leaders are holding their cards close to their chest but they have dropped enough hints about the criticality of the October 22 meeting of the UPA-Left committee on the nuclear deal. There could be another twist to the nuclear drama still.
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> Can Sonia make the PM smile again?Arati R Jerath
Sunday, October 14, 2007 http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1127445
Page 2 of 2 (Jump to page 1)
Party spokesman Abhishekh Singhvi reflected the mood when he said there was no U-turn on the nuclear deal. And, on Friday evening, the Capital abounded with rumours that the PM had resigned. False as they are, the rumours underline the uncertainty that has gripped the Congress.
Gandhi must have been aware of the impact her comments would have on her party and the man she chose as PM. She was, therefore, careful to coat the bitter pill with plenty of sugar as she showered praises on Manmohan Singh and dropped a hint about a cabinet reshuffle to bring newer and younger faces into the government.
But she will have to do more than offer lollipops to counter the negative mood in her ranks. Over the next few weeks, Gandhi will have to undertake a series of confidence-building exercises to boost the morale of the Congress and resurrect the image of the PM.
She will also have to get the Left to lower the decibel level of its rhetoric to send out the message that allâs well with the ruling combine.
Between the lines of her mantra on coalition dharma lies a clear message: the dictum to ``understand and accommodate each otherââ applies as much to the Left as to the PM.
If Singh can be made to swallow his pride to keep the UPA-Left arrangement afloat, then surely Prakash Karat can be persuaded to meet him halfway.
Gandhi seemed to signal that sheâs done her bit. Now, itâs up to the senior leaders of the Left to do their bit. Otherwise, the rupture will not heal and the election that no one wants may yet happen.
Left leaders are holding their cards close to their chest but they have dropped enough hints about the criticality of the October 22 meeting of the UPA-Left committee on the nuclear deal. There could be another twist to the nuclear drama still.