Congmen look at Sonia’s stars to read their future

NEW DELHI, AUG 8: A sheet of paper is doing hectic rounds in the Congress.Almost every other Congress leader either has a copy of it or i...

NEW DELHI, AUG 8: A sheet of paper is doing hectic rounds in the Congress.Almost every other Congress leader either has a copy of it or is talking about it to colleagues on an average of at least once a day. It neither deals with the party’s tactics or strategy, nor the list of candidates. It is a copy of party president Sonia Gandhi’s horoscope.

The horoscope itself is not a new acquisition, several leaders having managed a copy soon after Sonia became Congress chief, but its contents and portents have taken on a new and urgent meaning in the wake of recent political developments.

The Janata Dal’s split and the merger of the Lok Shakti, the Samata Party and Sharad Yadav’s faction of the JD have changed a lot of equations in the political firmament. This and the May split in the Congress, when Sharad Pawar, Tariq Anwar and P A Sangma rebelled and formed the NCP, have apparently merited a new look at Sonia’s horoscope.

Added to these reasons are the results of various surveys being published in themedia, including the one conducted by an American agency. All the surveys have given the ruling coalition the edge with the Congress shown as getting around the same number of seats it had in the last Lok Sabha.Thus, the deliberations among Congress leaders of all hues on what Sonia’s fate means to them. Since the party’s future is linked to its president’s fate, Sonia’s horoscope has become the most sought-after sheet of paper.At least three CWC members have done a detailed study and shared their “findings” with colleagues. And more than a dozen leaders from other levels in the Congress have shared their feelings on Sonia’s horoscope with The Indian Express. Surprisingly, all have similar views raising the possibility that a concerted effort may be on to “dent” Sonia’s image or her electoral chances.

The general view is that Sonia could find it tough to be either the Prime Minister of the country or even a minister under any other PM. She could also have security problems on hand later this year andthe Congress also may have to face hurdles on its way to power.

One radical conclusion is that Sonia may have to give up party presidency by June 2000 AD. There is one silver lining though: almost all agree that she will win her seat when and where she contests.

For the record, Sonia was born on December 9, 1946 at 9.15 pm in Turin, Italy.