A shift in Congress policy vis-a-vis the National Democratic Front was clearly discernible in the deliberations of the All India Congress Committee on Friday. Whether it was the speech of Party President Sonia Gandhi or the political resolution passed at the session, it is clear the government cannot take the party for granted. It should also banish the thought that whatever action it contemplates against Pakistan has the unqualified backing of the main opposition party. It is not that the Congress has compromised its stand on cross-border terrorism. Rather, it has made bold to express reservations about the policy the government has been pursuing in its efforts to give a fitting reply to those masterminding terrorism from across the border. The fact that the Congress finds little to commend the government in its handling of the situation should come as a cautionary note to the NDA government. The Congress has blamed the government for its empty rhetoric, its inability to control infiltration and for closing channels of communication between the two countries. It is obvious the Congress does not approve of the war-like situation being created on the border and it wants a resumption of the peace process. The party warned the government against undertaking any adventurist step which could boomerang on the nation.The Congress also seems to have made a conscious effort to dispel the impression that it is the B team of the BJP. In fact, when riots raged in Gujarat and the Muslims were at the receiving end of murderous gangs operating with the connivance of the government, the Congress had studiously refrained from demanding the removal of the chief minister. It also conveniently dodged the demand for President’s rule in the belief that it would, politically, be an unwise move. Now, for the first time, the party has demanded President’s rule. This could be because of reports that the prolonged violence in Ahmedabad has adversely affected the fortunes of the BJP and the Congress stood a better chance of winning an early election. Sonia Gandhi’s statement that ‘‘we ourselves have faltered. intimidated by false propaganda by our adversary’’ is the closest the party came to admitting that its response to Gujarat was not very ‘‘secular’’.It is not unusual for an opposition party to find fault with the government. The Congress has been unsparing in its criticism of the Centre’s handling of the economy, which it believes has led to low growth rates. But, even as it voices its criticism, the Congress cannot itself escape criticism, ruling as it does 14 states. Questions are bound to be asked about its own performance in these states. It is in recognition of this challenge that the party chief has indicated her plan to constitute a council of chief ministers to ensure that the party’s commitment on various issues is translated into action. However, the stress it lays on clearing the backlog in the appointment of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes for government jobs and the role of the public sector rather than on creating job opportunities through measures that provide a fillip to economic growth indicates that it has still not shed old shibboleths. But in one aspect, the party has shown realism — it has now indicated its readiness to join any coalitional arrangement.
