Congress and UPA Alliance Treading Gingerly

The electoral setbacks in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat have made not only the Congress to re-assess its strategies but also the constituents of the UPA as well. Every one recognizes that the Lok Sabha polls are not too far and that if the present is any indicator then there is little possibility of stopping the march of the NDA. The onus of doing this is on the Congress and the CPI(M) and both are back to the drawing boards.

by SHIBANI DASGUPTA

Having faced two consecutive defeats in the recently concluded state assembly elections of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, the Indian National Congress is virtually treading on thin ice, considering the fact that in the next one year ten other states will be going through assembly elections.

Its ally parties in the Left are also feeling the heat in their traditional home ground in West Bengal and Kerala and have conceded the fact that they need to make themselves more meaningful. Communist Party of Indian (Marxist), at the three day 22nd party conference at Kolkata in the second week of January did a serious rethink on how to make itself more friendly and trustworthy.

Having done a very serious u-tern on its earlier policy of stress on agriculture even at the cost of necessary industrialization CPI(M) governments in West Bengal and Kerala have now said that there is no alternative to capitalism provided that labour issues are protected in all respects.

Twenty three years after former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi sought to shed the Congress Party’s complacent, lethargic image in the country with a call to purge the party of power brokers, at the Bombay session of AICC, his son Rahul Gandhi is trying to do the same re-jig in contemporary terms. But the party has certainly become wary of a careless attempt at transition. Having learnt a lesson in the Gujarat fiasco, Congress is hesitant about letting into its fold deserters from other parties who might be very keen to “come back home”. There is no doubt that Indian National Congress has become a much weakened party, as compared to what it was even 25 year ago.

The recently constituted 13 member AICC committee-Group to look into Future Challenges-will soon submit a report to the party president with far reaching recommendations to rejuvenate the party, starting from AICC to Pradesh or State Congress Committees to District Congress Committees. The aim, as identified by the new general secretary is to make the constitution and functioning of these party panels democratic by doing away with traditional nominations that thrive on patronage of local leaders.

The committee now finalizing its recommendations, think that to make the party machinery more systemic and responsive, it should be repositioned as a semi-cadre based party instead of the present movement oriented one. The attempt will also be to give due emphasis and recognition to deprived sections of society, without allowing segments like Dalits and tribals from hijacking the social improvement measures.

The committee has taken note of the post-Mandal resurgence of the other backward castes as well as the weakening hold of the Congress Party among minorities and many sections of upper castes. It has also recognized the role that the now established parties have played in rekindling regional aspirations and give due weight and respect to them in the quest for unified strength in the coming Lok Sabha elections.

The bitter experience of Congress Party in Gujarat has made them wary of taking rebels on board. The party will be less than ready to accommodate the rebels (especially from Bharatiya Janta Party) jumping off rivals ships and will look to put an end to its tradition of giving party tickets at the 11th hour.

The CPI(M) is also facing loud and clear messages from its ally Left parties-Revolutionary Socialist Party and Forward Bloc rumblings of protest about its Big Brother role in the current day scenario. Facing flak from friends and foes alike over party patriarch Jyoti Basu’s recent comment about capitalism, party general secretary Prakash Karat has had to explain that there is need to change strategy not ideology, in order to achieve industrialization and resultant prosperity but not ideology, in the context of the Nano car plant in Singur. In-house differences between the leading party leaders in Kerala are doing no good to the party image at the national level.

About the lesser and newer ally Ms. Mayawati of Bahujan Samaj Party it can be said to be true or prolonged faith in each other is yet to be found though it was visible some months ago after her victory in the state assembly polls in May 2007. The BSP leader’s recent birthday celebrations were a case in point. The media has observed that while Ms. Mayawati was busy cutting her big birthday cake, the Congress Party managers were busy giving finishing touches to Rahul Gandhi’s two day tour of Bundelkhand. The gap between the BSP chief and Congress seemed widened. Though Prime Minister Manmohan Singh did maintain the formality of calling her up from Beijing, no senior Congress leader turned up for her party. To add to her discomfiture senior Congressmen dismissed her demand for Special Protection Group cover, pointing to the rule book, stating that her security could be upgraded even without the SPG ring. The allies down South too have given the Congress Party a difficult time, whether it is DMK or PMK of Ramadoss family fame in the recent past, as the spat with AIIMS director P Venugopal, who was divested of his post after losing a political battle with the Health Minister.

As of now, Congress Party is shoring up its image by putting as it were the image of Rahul Gandhi on the front cover, although intrinsically Priyanka Gandhi Vadera gets better response from her field tours. What impact he and his image will have cannot be predicted before the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.