Cong set to build its parivar

On the eve of the Shimla conclave, an intense debate is on in Congress corridors. The party has to decide whether it should opt for an NDA-t...

On the eve of the Shimla conclave, an intense debate is on in Congress corridors. The party has to decide whether it should opt for an NDA-type alliance with like-minded parties or tie up with them state-wise in bilateral arrangements while continuing to build its base.

Either way, it is getting ready to lead a ‘‘Congress parivar,’’ recognising the inevitability of a coalition government at the Centre. This will pave the way for a bi-polar coalition arrangement. Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s statement in Srinagar that the party was now open to coalitions is expected to be ratified at Shimla. Sonia is believed to have told her confidantes she sees no other option for the party.

Party’s Pachmarhi rewrite

New Delhi: Stepping back from its Pachmarhi stand, the Congress plans to announce at the Shimla conclave that it is open to both pre-poll and post-poll alliances for returning to power at the Centre. The party plans to counter BJP’s ‘‘cultural nationalism’’ by reviving the ‘‘composite culture’’ of the freedom movement, showcasing leaders like Sardar Patel, Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru.

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As in Pachmarhi, the resolution of the Shimla Conference does not state the difficulties the Congress is facing in forming a one-party government. Instead, it notes that the party has been out of power for seven years.
At Pachmarhi in September 1998, the Congress had said: ‘‘Coalitions will be considered only when absolutely necessary and that too on the basis of agreed programmes, which will not weaken the party.’’ The Shimla resolution says: ‘‘The Congress is prepared, wherever necessary, to enter into pre and post-election arrangements…’’

The resolution also refers to party chief Sonia Gandhi’s statement at the Chief Minister’s conference in Srinagar. ‘‘The candour with which this issue will be dealt with has been highlighted by Sonia’s remarks at the Srinagar conclave where she declared the party has an open mind on this issue,’’ the resolution states.
It talks of BJP as the main challenge because it is ‘‘occupying anti-Congress space’’ across the country and also at the Centre. The party feels a ‘‘consensus’’ is necessary for building an ‘‘effective strategy’’ to counter the BJP. Kota Neelima

That is why Shimla is being held at this juncture, party leaders say. The party is aware it cannot be caught napping and that the LS polls maybe advanced to February.

The younger group favours an NDA-type alliance with like-minded parties opposed to communal parties. This could include the Samajwadi Party, RJD, RLD and LJP. The party is a partner in five states and these parties could also be part of the alliance. As for Left parties, they have made it clear they would support a Congress-led government from outside.

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Smelling power, the Congress’ pro-alliance lobby suggests the party should take the initiative to forge a broadbased alliance. This would electrify the political climate and also help the party in the Assembly polls. They also argue that the Congress will be revived in states like UP and Bihar only after it comes to power because it has derived its strength from linkages based on patronage.

The second group is for dealing with regional parties bilaterally rather than creating a multilateral forum. The Congress should talk to Mulayam in UP, Laloo in Bihar, NCP in Maharashtra, explore the possibility of an alliance with DMK in Tamil Nadu. But the alliance should not be at the cost of the party’s revival. The division of seats will be decided on the basis of the respective strengths of the parties and for the moment the Congress has to build up its strength everywhere, even as it prepares for alliances.

The truth is an alliance with Laloo has done little for the Congress and really speaking, the RJD does not need the Congress after the creation of Jharkhand. The regional satraps of course feel the Congress has to build the ‘‘Congress parivar’’ with sincerity and not as a last resort.

Sonia will be called to synthesise these two streams at Shimla. It will be difficult for her to go beyond Srinagar and take a more definitive position because the party’s potential allies have not yet indicated they are ready to join hands with it and on what terms.

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There are indications that she may constitute a high-level committee of leaders who start talking to potential allies. Modalities apart, one thing is clear. The party has shifted gear. Five years ago at Pachmarhi, it had vowed to go it alone. It was the party’s disinclination to form a coalition that prevented the emergence of an alternative government in 1999 when Vajpayee’s ministry fell by one vote.

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