NEW DELHI: in a new assertive mood Madhavrao Scindia Sharad Pawar and Arjun Singh are making a determined bid to capture the country’s political canter stage. In the process new power centers are emerging within the Congress Patty which for the past several decades was dominated first by Indira and then by Rajiv Gandhi.
While the majority of the party members are perplexed by the new developments some senior Congress men term the current developments as mere “teething trouble’. For over two decades the party was being led by charismatic leaders. This had led to over centralisation within the organization. Under the new dispensation the opening up process had begun unleashing multiple forces. Thus they contend the party men are unable to channelize internal democracy in a constructive manner
Defence Minister Sharad Pawar who had demanded that the leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party should be elected by the newly-elected Lok Sabha members is no longer the only contender for the throne. He has been joined by Madhavrao Scindia the irrepressible Civil Aviation Minister and Human Resources Development Minister Arjun Singh. The three are trying to consolidate such a decision. In a bid to carve out a niche or himself Madhavrao Scindia has set the pace with his unwavering ideological stand against the Bharatya Janata Party (BJP). He refused to tone down his remarks against the BJP despite requests torn party ment that he was upholding the values of secularism as proposed by Indira Gandhi and Rajiv has tied PV .Narasimha Rao’s hands. Rao can neither take action against him as Scindia obeyed the party whip and voted the BUP candidate for Deputy Speakership nor has he been able to persuade him to retract his remarks. Scindia on the other hand has been able to enlist the sympathy of a large number of party MPs for what they term his “principled stand” Said Anand Sharma a former president of the Indian Youth Congress.
A lot of us agree with the stand taken by Scindia. The BUP’s usage of religion tor political gains and its polarisation of society are against the interests of the country. Surely that cannot be called patriotic’.
Sharad Pawar has adopted a different Strategy. As defence minister he is using his portfolio to build a national image tor him self. His tours across the country have been more of a public relations exercise. His close confidantes including Suresh Kalmadi a Rajya Sabha member are also gathering support for him.
Arjun Singh who first proposed the name of Sonia Gandhi is maintaining a comparatively low profile; A regular visitor to 10-Jampathhe believes that as Nehruvian views on development and economy would help retain his position of a close confidante to Sonia. Sources close to him said that Arjun Singh would continue to support Sonia Gandhi’s candidature for party leadership. In case Sonia declined to take up the post he might emerge as her alternative against the rivals.
Sonia’s initial reluctance to be party president soon alter the death of her husband Rajiv Gandhi appears to be waning She has been holding regular ‘durbars’ at Janpath Besides her frequent meetings with party men are indication to her entering politics.
Her belated interest in party affairs has unnerved here detractors. The gradual rift within the party can do some extent be attributed to Sonia’s unclear inventions. And until Sonia decides to declare her plans organisational matters cannot be sorted out.
Soon after assuming leadership of the party and the govt P.V.Narasimha Rao was expected fo revamp the partly. He was also expected to become the center power and inspiration of the 10 yr. old organization but how ‘inept’ handling of the organizational affairs is being cited as the main reason for the prevailing impasse in the party However some of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) members are all praise for the prime minister D.P. Yadav a CWC member told Sunday Mail ‘Narasimha Rao is leading the country on the correct path economically and politically.”
Several senior party leaders disagree. Some of them pleading anonymity told Sunday Mail that the govt could justify he tough time it had in Lok Sabha on grounds of lacking clear majority on the floor of the House. But can the PM explain the presence of a large number of Rajya Sabha members in the ministry and why has he violated the time-tested convention that a person should not be allowed to hold dual charge in the govt and in the organization the leaders ask Following the footsteps of Indira and Rajiv Narsimha Rao inherited the dual charge of pasty president ship and prime minister ship. Not only has he retained the two posts but has also allowed his colleagues in the ministry Arjun Singh Balram Jhakar Ghulam Nabi Azad and Sitaram Kesaritoretain president ship of the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary ship and the post of the party’s treasurer respectively.
Madhavrao Scindia’s outburst against the BJP just before the election of the Deputy Speaker is seen as an attempt to politicise the issue so that it would become difficult for the party to support the BUP nominee The absence of nearly three dozen MPs violating the three-line party whip is an indication that several party peers are supporting Scindia’s well calculated stand against BjP
It is said that the former Union Minister Ramamurthy in his resignation letter had tried to criticize the govt Il was the timely intervention of Arjun Singh who stopped his disparaging remarks in the House and asked him to make a simple statement on his resignation.
During the current session of Parliament it was S.S_ Ahluwalia who flouted party discipline and refused to withdraw a private member’s Bill Again nearly 36 MPs have defied the party whip. Few are prepared believe that they were unaware of any such whip
The Prime Minister is pitted against the twin challenges of running the govt’ as well as the organization The attitude of Madhavrao Scindia moves by Arjun Singh and Sharad Pawar and Sonia’s indecision have added to the prime minister’s problems. In public addresses he always tellers to Rajiv’s “visions and policies” and promises to implement the sciences the departed leader had promised the people. It appears he has also taken Vasant Sathe’s advice seriously and is visiting to Janpath regularly. But all these efforts cannot be a substitute for hard political decisions which Narasimha Rao has to take il he wants to retain the throne.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 23, 1991
