Downbeat Congress mulls over polls

NEW DELHI, MAY 5: For a gathering which represents the core of the Congress leadership across the country, today's arrival of PCC heads a...

NEW DELHI, MAY 5: For a gathering which represents the core of the Congress leadership across the country, today’s arrival of PCC heads and CLP leaders at 10, Janpath, went almost unnoticed in a curious air of wariness and diffidence.

Party president Sonia Gandhi’s day-long discussions with her state commanders was hardly the stuff of a party gearing itself up for the task of running the country: instead it was like that of a party which had missed the bus. People came and went, by turns, spending their half-an-hour with Sonia and ending with the usual line of going by whatever she would decide.

Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Tamil Nadu, which form the troublesome triangle for the Congress, showed no light at the end of the tunnel. Salman Khurshid, Sadanand Singh and T. Ramamurthy, PCC chiefs of UP, Bihar and TN respectively, apparently felt the Congress must go it alone and any alliance should only be at no cost to the Congress.

Olive branches were extended, albeit hesitantly, for the BSP in UP, RJD inBihar, TMC in Tamil Nadu and RPI in Maharashtra but there were no good words for the Samajwadi Party or the ADMK. Khurshid stayed with his line of contempt for Mulayam Singh going to the extent of claiming the fight in UP was a “straight one” between the Congress and the BJP.

Ramamurthy felt Moopanar should now end the TMC’s existence and merge with the TNCC while Sadanand Singh, whose opinions are mattering less and less, said the RJD is “ok” but the Congress should contest all 54 Bihar Lok Sabha seats. And at the end of a day, which was expected to be the first serious strategy session in the Congress for the coming polls, friends and enemies were listed on the anticipated lines.

Friends of Congress are Laloo Yadav’s RJD, the various RPI factions in Maharashtra, Ajit Singh’s Lok Dal, the Kerala Congress (M), G.M. Banatwala’s Muslim League, Moopanar’s TMC and Rameshwar Thakur’s PWP. Fond acquaintances, who could turn friends, are the BSP, Jayalalitha’s ADMK and Subramanian Swamy’s Janata Party.Necessary allies, whose help might be needed after the elections, are the Left parties.

Arch rivals are the BJP, TDP, Samata Party, Akali Dal, BJD, Lok Shakti and a host of other BJP-friendly organisations. Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress which was earlier seen as a possible prodigal, is now on the verge of being classified as a foe, if the West Bengal PCC’s opinion matters. That then was the essence of today’s deliberations which are slated to continue tomorrow as well.

TALKING HEADS

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UPCC chief Salman Khurshid: “If we can repeat Digvijay Singh’s deal with the BSP in UP, it’s between us and the BJP”. Read: Mulayam can take a walk, Mayawati will help us bust the BJP.

TNCC head T.K. Ramamurthy:

“TMC should merge with us. We shouldn’t ally with the ADMK.” Read: The prodigal returns home, Jaya goes her way and the Cong rises from the ashes.

Bihar PCC chief Sadanand Singh:

“We should fight all 54 seats but I’ll go by whatever the high commandsays.” Read: Laloo matters more than me, so we’ll ally with him and try to touch double figures this time.

APCC head Y.S. Rajashekara Reddy:

“We are strong in AP. But if the high command wants any alliance, it’s ok.” Read: Chandrababu Naidu is scared, his men are running and I’m the boss (Reddy is on the verge of getting Renuka Chowdhry over to the Cong tomorrow, following on Vijayarama Raju’s footsteps.