Congress Undemocratic Ideology - 4

[ramana]

More reports backing the politicsparty leak that there is sever infighting in INC.



From Pioneer, 8 Sept., 2010

PM undermined by parlour games

September 08, 2010 10:02:33 PM



Swapan Dasgupta



The week that marked the unanimous re-appointment of Sonia Gandhi as Congress president for the fourth consecutive occasion (on two previous occasions there was at least a contrived contest) should have also been the moment for the party to put its best foot forward. Whether it is — her political acumen or just plain good luck — Sonia has succeeded in extricating the Congress from the depths to which it had sunk in 1996 and restoring it to the status of a ruling party, albeit in coalition. Congress members, therefore, owe her a deep measure of gratitude. They should also be obliged to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for giving the party an acceptable, non-contentious face that proved so appealing to voters in 2009.



The irony is that this happy occasion, marked by characteristic display of sycophancy, was simultaneously marred by some deeply negative publicity. Some of it had to do with the Government's colossal ineptitude: The ongoing fiasco of the Commonwealth Games and the Supreme Court's anger over the criminal mismanagement of food stocks being two obvious examples. In private, Congress circles are speculating over who will take over from Sheila Dikshit after the final planeload of athletes has departed from Delhi.



But far more significant were the sharp attacks on Home Minister P Chidambaram and Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal by senior members of the Congress and the Government's failure to negotiate the passage of the Educational Tribunals Bill and Enemy Properties Bill through the Rajya Sabha.



Chidambaram, for example, was put on the mat by Janardhan Dwivedi and Digvijay Singh over the use of the term ‘saffron terror'. This is not because the two Congress functionaries have suddenly developed an acute awareness of Hindu or BJP sensitivities, but because just about any stick was deemed legitimate as long as it gave Chidambaram a good thrashing. The same logic, it would seem, was behind Keshava Rao's outburst against Sibal in the Rajya Sabha. The whisper in the political grapevine is that a third Cabinet Minister is also in line for a public beating by members of his own party and that his time will come, pretty soon.



The overall impression that came through was that the Congress was pulling in different directions and that the Government was completely lacking in direction.



It's an impression that is proving difficult to shake off. In Andhra Pradesh, the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy's son Jagan continues to defy Sonia's displeasure over his display of political independence. What should alarm the party leadership is the fact that two years after his father's tragic death, Jagan is still able to sustain his defiance that is just short of rebellion.



In Delhi, Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh may well be on the cusp of becoming an alternative pole of NGO attraction — Sonia remains their main patron saint, courtesy her accommodation of jholawallah concerns through the National Advisory Council. What is significant, however, is the extent to which his actions were targeted at the Prime Minister's agenda. The manner in which Ramesh used his unilateral action against the Vedanta aluminium plant in Kalahandi to obfuscate his spiteful sabotage of the Posco project — the single largest FDI investment in the country — was characteristically clever. But apart from giving Rahul Gandhi an opportunity to be photographed with some grateful tribals and settling some old scores with Naveen Patnaik, the Posco decision was also a well-aimed blow at the Prime Minister. The PMO had, after all, been monitoring the progress of the Posco project on a weekly basis and had never remotely indicated to the Odisha Government that something was amiss.



One possible reason why Congress stalwarts are engaging in these self-destructive parlour games is the belief that there is no worthwhile Opposition left in the country and that whatever the shenanigans a victory in the 2014 election is a foregone conclusion. The alternative explanation that democracy has returned to the Congress is too far-fetched to warrant serious consideration.



However, it is well-known that politicians are loath to take too many chances, especially given the fact that each year witnesses some election or the other. So, what could explain this sudden rise in individualism in the Congress and the Government? Why are the Government and the Prime Minister being steadily undermined on a host of issues, including internal security and economic policy?



Darbar watchers whisper that the fourth term to Sonia is an eyewash and that the UPA chairperson has actually lessened her involvement as the watchdog of the Government. Her interests, it is said, are confined to advocating the causes of her favourite NGOs, particularly those involving a heavier burden of Government expenditure.



Since the happenings inside 10 Janpath are covered by unwritten clauses of the Official Secrets Act, it is impossible to be certain about Sonia's strategic withdrawal. Nor is there any compelling evidence to suggest that the heir apparent has moved beyond making anodyne comments about the youth and the poor and is preparing to regain family control over Race Course Road.



Why, therefore, is the Congress so utterly hell bent on undermining its own Government and making the Prime Minister seem so utterly feeble? This is the mystery the pundits need to solve. From a distance, it looks utterly inexplicable.

PC thought he could make a grab for the post MMS scenario by bolstering his secular credentials. He was bashed by the party retainers to ensure he doesnt get oo high fro hir brithces.



Sibal was getting too much popularity with his education reforms. Again needed to be reminded the son also rises. However this was administered in the Rajya Sabha!



RG might not make patent moves to assert control.