High Command laid low

Two Congress chief ministers have been in the news recently 8212; and for the wrong reasons. One in the north is threatening to block the flow of river waters into neighbouring states, another in the south is experimenting with religion-based reservations. The stances of both Amarinder Singh in Punjab and Y.S.Rajasekhara Reddy in Andhra Pradesh 8212; prompted no doubt by an individualistic search for durable power in their respective states 8212; threaten to undermine the ties that bind this nation together, besides being extremely dodgy, constitutionally speaking.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi must, surely, be aware of the dangers of the uncalibrated populism promoted by these party representatives. She must also, surely, realise that what is ultimately at stake is the credibility of the Congress-led Central government. While Reddy8217;s 5 per cent reservations for the Muslim community in his state was an election pledge, it has been reported that Sonia Gandhi was unaware of Amarinder Singh8217;s proposed muscle-flexing over river waters. If that is indeed the case, then it reflects poorly on the party and its channels of communication. After all, evolving policy for a major party like the Congress, with governments at the Centre and in several states, must be a function of both intelligence and intelligent advice. Amarinder Singh should have been reined in and Rajasekhara Reddy should have been advised to review the religion-based reservations that he now proposes to institute.

It is better to react late than not to react at all. Sonia Gandhi should now set about rectifying the damage. She did indicate that she would issue a direction to Amarinder Singh not to curtail the Ravi-Beas waters to Rajasthan. But she needs to do much more. Most of all, she should inform him that no individual chief minister can perceive himself as bigger than the party. As for Rajasekhara Reddy, he too could do with some good advice from the party high command. What, after all, is the 8216;high command8217; all about, if it cannot exert itself when constituents willfully damage the credibility of the party as a whole for their own narrow political ends?