India’s ruling Congress (I) has been passing through convulsions in the wake of its defeats last month in the four state assembly elections. Several senior party leaders are fed up with prime minister Rao for his “soft Hindutva” policies which led to the alienation of minorities from the Congress(I). Human resources development minister Arjun Singh has resigned from the Indian cabinet. In his resignation letter, Singh has highlighted the minorities issue, corruption and economic policies followed by the government. Singh feels that the destruction of the Babri Masjid had led to the alienation of the Muslim and other minorities from the ruling party. He also thinks that the economic liberalization has no human face and has not benefited the poor. The U.P. Congress (I) president N.D. Tewari has carried out his threat of resigning if the ruling party did not withdraw support to the Malayam Singh Yadav government. The Tamil Nadu state unit of the ruling party, Chief K. Ramamurthy rose in open revolt against Rao and even gave a call for his boycott when the prime minister visited the state. Ramamurthy was promptly removed from his post. Congressmen in Kashmir criticized the prime minister for his policies and lent support to the dissident Congress (I) leader. However, chief ministers of Punjab and Haryana have backed the prime minister. So has the All India Youth Congress (I) leader, Maninderjit Singh Bitta. There is a great deal of chaos in the party. The prime minister’s moral authority has been undermined. To keep the situation under control, Rao has threatened action against the “enemy within” for indiscipline. Does the prime minister have the capacity to resolve the crisis and discipline Arjun Singh and his supporters and sympathizers? Obviously Arjun Singh is not alone. He is supported by Congress (I) general secretary Anand Patel, junior home minister Rajesh Pilot, U.P. leader Tewari and Kerala party leader A.K. Antony, among others. Former Tamil Nadu Congress chief Ramamurthy, too, is on Arjun Singh’s side. It is not merely a question of factionalism. Senior leaders appear convinced that the ruling party’s ship is sinking. A statement has even been attributed to Arjun Singh likening Rao to Gorbachev.
Though Arjun Singh denied it, the truth is sticking in the minds of Congressmen that the party’s (and the country’s) future is doomed with Rao at the helim of affairs. The prime minister cannot be unmindful of the further damage to the ruling party in the context of the March elections to some of the state assemblies if action is taken against Arjun Singh. This is not the best way to recover the lost ground in so far as the minorities, Dalits and the scheduled tribes are concerned. The Muslim minority has sizeable interest in Maharashtra and Bihar. It could tilt the scales against the ruling party. The Muslims and other minorities have already taught a lesson to the Congress (I) in Andhra Pradesh and Kamataka. In fact, wherever the third alternative – Congress(I) and the B.J.P. being the first and the secondis available, the Muslim and other minorities have opted for it to defeat both the pro-Hindutva parties. Any action against Arjun Singh will further alienate the minorities at this stage.
The prime minister’s camp is trying hard to control and minimize the damage to the image of the ruling party. International support is being mobilized with delegation after delegation visiting India. A few military and trade agreements have been signed with the USA. The Indian government has banned the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) for two more years. The decision is aimed at protecting the Congress (I) as a secular force which does not tolerate a rabid communal force like the V.H.P. Senior V.H.P. leaders like Ashok Singhal and Giri Raj Kishore are free to address press conferences to mobilize support for the Ram temple at the site where earlier the Babri Masjid stood,
Organs of the India state are too pro-fundamentalist to make organizations like the V.H.P. ineffective. The minorities are fully aware that Rao himself is a fundamentalist Brahman whose secular credentials are totally suspect. The government’s announcement that it will scrap TADA, that fascist, anti-minority legislation, has also no effect on the minorities. Thousands of Muslims and Sikhs have been imprisoned under TADA for years without getting relief to them. Here the Indian police is not permitting the government to withdraw the black law. Prime Minister Rao, who heads the police state, dare not over-rule the police.
All said and done, the Indian ruling party does not have many options to choose from. It is in deep trouble. The party has all but written off Bihar and Orissa to the state and regional parties. It is concentrating mainly on Maharashtra state where the maximum money has been committed to be spent consequent upon the so-called economic liberalization policies. If the party loses Maharashtra, then the new economic policy postures too, will suffer a setback. Prime Minister Rao and his party have trying times to within the forthcoming few weeks.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 20, 1995
