Responsible opposition

For the first time, Sonia Gandhi has asserted herself at the level of national policy-making, chivvying her confused flock into line on the insurance liberalisation issue. In the process, she has forced upon the Congress the role of a responsible opposition party. The second round of liberalisation, which the nation has been looking forward to for some time, could not have been kicked off without the constructive support of the party. And the amendments it has proposed have indeed been constructive, in that they encourage a level of social responsibility in the private sector. It is a relief to see a Congress that finally knows its own mind and has the gumption to stick to its core values, irrespective of short-term electoral compulsions.

It is a most heartening change from the Congress of the day before the voting. This is a party that rightfully lays claim to being the originator of liberalisation and, in particular, that of the insurance sector. At that point of time, a party with that history wasprepared to barter its guiding principles to secure a short-term goal: the exoneration of its former leader. Such bartering may be permissible in the political space, in the sense that the nation has become inured to it. But at the level of national policy-making, it tantamounts to working against the interests of the people. The stand of the Left is perfectly understandable its rejection of liberalisation is inevitable because of its ideological compulsions. It has committed itself too unambiguously to the other camp to draw back now. No matter how often the West Bengal government, for one, reaches out to foreign investors, its leadership will have to maintain its stand at the risk of losing its electoral base. The point is that the Congress is under no such compulsion and the party has certainly not painted itself into a corner.Given that, its prior stand on the insurance Bill was most disappointing and against the national interest.

Sonia Gandhi8217;s intervention seems to have put the Congress back ontrack. It was precisely this clear definition of immediate role and image that the party has been in need of ever since the election. And for once, the party has been reminded that it has a real leadership, not just a street address. In fact, it is to be hoped that Sonia Gandhi is able to make this a new starting point. The realism that she has shown in opting to let the Congress be the BJP8217;s B-team rather than the Left8217;s is to be commended. It was a choice between constructive opposition and pointless 8212; and potentially image-damaging opposition, and she has chosen right. The Bill would not have gone through without the support of the Congress, and the electorate has a long memory. It is also significant that she did not issue a firman, preferring rather to talk to senior Congress-men opposed to the Bill. The Congress has suffered the consequences of its monolithic structure for far too long. It is still umbilically connected with a first family but even so, it will be a step towards the present if thatfamily can introduce some consensual management practices. It is to be hoped that Sonia Gandhi8217;s handling of the insurance Bill issue is a sign of things to come.